A Family Legacy: The Collection of Daniel and Myrna Clyman
in Americana at Stair on Thursday, January 28 at 11am ONLINE
Born and raised in Baltimore, MD, Daniel Clyman was encouraged by his parents at a young age to follow his passions. He excelled in his studies and graduated from medical school and the United States Naval Academy with honors. Daniel began his medical career in Westchester, NY and on a fated business trip to Haiti he met his future wife, Myrna Kessler, a native of Brooklyn, NY. After a whirlwind courtship they married, adopted two children and settled down to raise a family not far from Manhattan. Myrna’s interest in art lead her to join the Katonah Art Museum and become a supporter of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She established the ‘Around the Town Tour’ group leading groups on day trips to surrounding states featuring artistic institutions. Daniel was an enthusiastic supporter of his wife’s interests and together they began collecting Chinese Works of Art in the early 1960s. Their interests soon expanded to Chinese Export porcelain, American and English furniture as well as Sporting Art. They traveled widely to add to their collection and were avid auction-goers, purchasing from sales in America, Europe and Asia.
The love of collecting was a family affair that extended to Daniel’s brother, Dr. Sidney Clyman. Sidney’s focus was 20th century western art including works by Picasso, Wayne Thiebaud and Arshile Gorky, as well as early African sculpture like a Fang-Betsi ancestor head from Gabon. Important items from this collection can be found today in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Through decades of family gatherings, Sidney and Daniel would discuss art and their respective acquisitions. Both households were akin to small-scale museums, benefitting and inspired by each brother’s different interests, tastes and perspectives.
Time & Location
Thursday, January 28 at 11am ONLINE