Dear Fisher Museum Friends,
On September 13th, we lost our dear friend Dr. Eugene (Gene) Rogolsky. He was 91.⠀
Gene lived a beautiful and full life. He was a pioneering AIDS doctor, a thoughtful art patron and collector, and a generous donor to Fisher Museum. His fantastic gift of more than 700 works in 2015 elevated our permanent collection with paintings, prints, and photography by local and international, LGBTQ, and Latinx artists. He is survived by his husband Joe Boutell.⠀
He will be missed. We dedicate this newsletter as a celebration of our friend and his beautiful art which will continue to enliven the Fisher Museum collection, exhibitions, and programs for years to come!
Yours in the memory of a most generous spirit,
Selma, Kay, Raphael, Juan, Stephanie, Maria, and Brigid
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A Generosity of Spirit: Celebrating the Gift of Eugene Rogolsky, MD
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In the fall of 2016, USC Fisher Museum of Art presented the exhibition A Generosity of Spirit: Celebrating the Gift of Eugene Rogolsky, MD. The show contextualized the web of inspiration that motivated the pioneering Beverly Hills AIDS research clinic doctor as he accumulated works of art. It hints at the personal and professional relationships he has developed over time, as well as the social and cultural ambiance that prevailed in the 1980s when he was most actively engaged in collecting. Tim Wride, curator of A Generosity of Spirit, says that the Rogolsky Collection is "a collection that is populated by works done by artists who were patients, patients who were friends, and friends who became legends.”
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Dr. Rogolsky and Fisher Director Selma Holo discuss the museum's acquisition of more than 700 works of art.
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A selection of installation photographs from the exhibition:
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The largest single artist collection donated as part of the 700 pieces was 55 artworks by Carlos Almaraz, including this one, Untitled (#36 Bridge). See more of Almaraz's work from the Rogolosky collection
HERE
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Suppression, Subversion and the Surreal:
The Art of Czechoslovakian Resistance
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During the spring of 2019, Director Selma Holo's Museum Studies class curated an exhibition which explored the impact of oppressive governance on artistic expression through the works of five Czechoslovakian artists, creating art before, during, and after the Soviet occupation of what is presently known as the Czech Republic. The prints and photographs exhibited were all selected from the Dr. Eugene Rogolsky Collection. During the closing day of the show, the student curators were on hand to give Dr. Rogolsky a tour of the exhibition.
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This exhibition was not only on display in the Fisher Museum's Quinn Wing, it was also presented in two online exhibits.
Explore the PRINTS
Explore the PHOTOGRAPHY
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The last time Dr. Rogolosky was at the museum was for the opening reception for Facing Survival | David Kassan. He is seen here with his husband Joe. ❤️
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A note from our Director:
As we say our goodbyes to Gene Rogolsky, we are struck by the many ways we will miss him. What began as a collector/museum relationship for us at Fisher evolved into so much more than that over time. We learned more and more about his compassionate and generous work in the health care community. We learned about his love of family and how attached his nieces and nephews and siblings had been to him and he to them. We learned about his life-long friendships and how Gene was always concerned about the vagaries of those friends' lives. We grew to understand how artists and their art nourished him--on a daily basis. We got to know his husband Joe, a special treat for all of us. And, one day a few months before he died he told me that he thought of me as a sister. The glow from that honor remains and will for a long time to come.
⁓ Selma
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