Richard Manoogian, Industrialist and Collector of American Art, Has Died at 90

Richard Manoogian, a Detroit industrialist and avid art collector, died at 90 on Friday. His death was confirmed by Masco Corporation, the company where he was chairman emeritus, that was founded by his Armenian immigrant parents Alex and Marie Manoogian in 1929, famed for selling the single-handle Delta faucet.

Richard Manoogian, who appeared on ARTnews’s Top 200 Collectors list six times, including the first edition in 1990, was always engaged in cultural, charitable, and educational initiatives. In 1987, Manoogian bought George Caleb Bingham’s painting The Jolly Flatboatmen (1846) for $6 million ($17.69 million today) from the Pell Family Trust and at the time made it one of the highest sums paid for an American painting at auction or via private sale. The painting had been on loan since 1953 by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, where Richard was a member of the National Gallery’s Trustee Council.

“There are not enough words to adequately recognize the lifelong accomplishments, contributions and impact of Richard Manoogian. Richard lived a long, successful life and leaves behind a legacy from his role at Masco and as a philanthropist, renowned art collector and community leader. His integrity, his commitment to excellence and respect and care for each person will forever be a part of Masco,” said Jon Nudi, president and CEO of Masco Corporation in a statement.

Manoogian had been collecting art since the mid-1970s with a taste for American paintings. His collection went on display at the National Gallery of Art in the exhibition “American Paintings From the Manoogian Collection” in June 1989. The show featured 63 paintings with works by Thomas Eakins, John Singer Sargent, and Mary Cassatt.

J. Carter Brown, the National Gallery of Art’s gallery director at the time, told the Los Angeles Times in 1989 that Manoogian is “more than a lender, more than an owner of art. He is a true collector. All you have to do is go to his house and be careful if you have to get into the bathroom or into any or the closets or the kitchen. It is full of art. He is a joy to know because of this irrepressible enthusiasm he has for American art. What you are seeing here is just the tip of the iceberg. It was an agonizing choice to squeeze this collection down.”

Nicolai Cikovsky Jr., who was curator of American art at the National Gallery, said that the exhibition was a “comprehensive survey of American painting, a remarkable one in capsule form. What I think is remarkable and distinctive about this collection is how it ranges widely from the canonic to the offbeat to the mainstream to the idiosyncratic, and I mean that as a compliment.”

When it came to art, Manoogian’s goal was to always promote American artists. “I think one of the main motivations was just the feeling that American art generally was often underappreciated,” he said in 1989 about his exhibition. “Hopefully, one of the things that this exhibition will do is show the quality and diversity that exists in American art . . . and will encourage other people to build that appreciation.”

Manoogian also added that his collecting habit was to reflect the generosity of America when his parents immigrated in 1920. “Putting this collection together and sharing it is just a small way of expressing that appreciation for all the opportunities this country has presented for families such as ours,” he said. “American Paintings from the Manoogian Collection” also went on view at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Under Masco, Manoogian owned an art gallery called Beacon Hill at 980 Madison Avenue that he sold in 1998 with the art collection going to auction at Sotheby’s. According to the New York Times, the gallery’s collection was estimated to be worth $10 million ($20.55 million today).