The Naples Museum of Art first opened its doors to the public in 2000. That same year, it received one of its most important gifts, works from the private collection of Ahmet Ertegün.
"Ertegün was best known as the founder of Atlantic Records, but he was a fantastic collector of modern art and we were really fortunate to acquire some of the most important works from his collection,” Baker Museum Gallery Director and Chief Curator Courtney McNeil said.
The 300 artworks in Ertegün’s collection included modern art spanning the six decades between 1910 and the late 1960s.
“The museum then went on to acquire collections from folks like Charlotte and Paul Corddry, who had an amazing collection of really blue-chip 20th century mostly American artists, and we acquired the collection of Olga Hirshhorn, who continued collecting after she and her late husband, Joe, had founded the Hirshhorn Museum in D.C.,” McNeil said.
In between were gifts of modern Mexican art dated from 1900 to 1980 from Harry Pollak and works by additional Mexican artists from the Bryna Prensky Collection.
In all, the museum’s permanent collection now consists of more than 3,500 objects of 20th and 21st century American and Mexican modern art.
“I feel like the Baker Museum is at such an interesting point in its history,” McNeil said. “It’s a fairly young museum by industry standards, but it’s not a baby any more. We’re really coming into our own and achieving greater professionalism and maturity.”
The American Alliance of Museums formally recognized the museum’s quality, credibility and professionalism when it conferred first-time accreditation on the Baker Museum of Art in February. Of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums, only 1,116 are currently accredited. This distinction places The Baker Museum among approximately the top 3% of museums in the U.S. and the only accredited museum of any kind in Collier County.
“This has been a goal for the Baker Museum for a while,” McNeil said. “It was one of the conversations that I had with the hiring committee when I was hired, and knowing that it was a goal for the museum made me excited to come here and take on that challenge.”
Now the Baker Museum and Southwest Florida arts community have the pleasure of celebrating the museum’s 25th anniversary and AAM accreditation at the same time.
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Assembled by the Turkish American businessman best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records, the Ahmet Ertegün Collection features a remarkable selection of U.S. modern art that demonstrates Ertegün’s comprehension of and intuitiveness about rhythm, pattern and color. Among the artists he collected are Irene Rice Pereira, Gertrude Glass (Greene), Esphyr Slobodkina, Oscar Bluemner and Ilya Bolotowsky. Other works include those by the Park Avenue cubists, such as A. E. Gallatin and George L. K. Morris, as well as other seminal figures of American art of the first half of the 20th century, such as Marsden Hartley, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Thomas Hart Benton, Helen Torr and Stuart Davis.
The Baker Museum exhibited a selection of works from the Ahmet Ertegün Collection between February 10 and October 13, 2024 in “Deep Cuts from the Ahmet Ertegun Collection.”
The Baker Museum acquired the Harry Pollak Collection in 2002. It contained works by such prestigious Mexican artists as Leonora Carrington, Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, Rufino Tamayo, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. These additions galvanized the maturity of the Baker Museum’s collection as one that acknowledges and celebrates the magnitude of the art historical canon while shedding light on important pieces by other artists such as Louis Eilshemius, John Seery and Robert De Niro, Sr.
The Olga Hirshhorn collection came in two gifts, the first in 2013 and another in 2016. It contained artworks by Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, Georgia O'Keeffe, Man Ray, Willem de Kooning, Pablo Picasso, Elsie Dorey Upham and Ed Ruscha.
From the Corddrys, the Baker Museum received 50 modern and contemporary American works by iconic names such as Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Motherwell, Pat Steir, Larry Rivers, Marilyn Minter, Frank Stella, James Rosenquist, Robert Rauschenberg and Richard Lindner.
The Corddrys began collecting in 1972, when Paul Corddry was assigned to select art for an Ore-Ida Foods corporate office building. His interest piqued, he and his wife, Charlotte, became ardent collectors. The two worked without an agent, buying works they both appreciated. They had great instincts and acquired works by artists who became famous.
As hoped, the Corddrys' donation became a fulcrum for others.
Museum accreditation is a long and rigorous process. It combines self-assessment and peer review. Museums achieve accreditation by demonstrating they meet standards and best practices and are educational entities that are appropriate stewards of the collections and resources they hold in the public trust.
“Along with that comes the requirement that we look more closely at our collecting policies and practices and establish more proactive goals for the continued formation and growth of the permanent collection,” McNeil pointed out. “So after the AAM accreditation project, I look forward to diving into with the Artis — Naples board, the museum committee and the museum staff producing a document that shows what we have and what our specific collecting goals are. That’s not the type of document that would be for public consumption, but it would serve as a guidepost for us to establish goals and then to budget accordingly to achieve those goals.”
While McNeil is honored by the museum’s AAM accreditation, she acknowledges the fine work being done by other museums throughout Florida and the nation.
“There are a lot of great museums who were operating in wonderful ways, are super professional, are focused on their missions and serving their communities, but maybe don’t have the bandwidth to take on the administrative work of pursuing accreditation,” McNeil said. “So, I certainly don’t discount a museum that’s not accredited, but this has been a goal for the Baker Museum for a while.”
Accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is the highest national recognition afforded to museums in the United States.
“Recognized as the field’s gold standard for museum excellence for 55 years, AAM accreditation signifies a museum’s quality and credibility to the entire museum community, to governments and outside agencies, and to the museum-going public,” states the American Alliance of Museums on its website. “The Accreditation Program ensures the integrity and accessibility of museum collections, reinforces the educational and public service roles of museums, and promotes good governance practices and ethical behavior.”
“This achievement reinforces our organizational commitment to excellence across all of Artis—Naples,” said Artis—Naples CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen. “AAM accreditation speaks to the quality of our visual arts programming, as well as the high standards we uphold in every aspect of operations — from education and safety to collections care, storage and the stewardship of our facilities and financial resources. It demonstrates the strength, integrity and artistic ambition of our organization as a whole.”
“As Artis—Naples continues to grow and evolve, this accreditation affirms our organizational commitment to artistic excellence,” said Alexander Shelley, Artis — Naples artistic and music director. “It is a meaningful recognition of the role the visual arts play within this institution’s broader cultural mission — and of our responsibility to inspire, engage and challenge our audiences through thoughtful and dynamic programming.”
The AAM committee that visited the Baker Museum during the review process praised The Baker for its outstanding exhibitions, deep community partnerships and educational outreach — including its work with school groups across Southwest Florida and its regular schedule of free-admission events. The museum’s integration with the broader multidisciplinary mission of Artis—Naples was also recognized as a defining strength.
“Accreditation with the American Alliance of Museums is a testament to the incredible work and dedication of the Artis—Naples team and the unwavering support of the community,” said McNeil. “It reflects the care we take with every exhibition, every school partnership and every visitor experience. We’re honored to share this achievement with all who have championed and supported the museum over the past 25 years.”
Accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums affirms The Baker Museum’s position as a leader in the field, recognized not only for its professional excellence but also for its deep commitment to education, community engagement and artistic innovation. As the museum prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary, this milestone marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in its mission to inspire and serve audiences across Southwest Florida and beyond.
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is the only organization representing the entire museum field, from art and history museums to science centers and zoos. Since 1906, the AAM has been championing museums through advocacy and providing museum professionals with the resources, knowledge and connections they need to move the field forward. For more information, visit aam-us.org.
The Baker Museum is the foremost fine art museum in Southwest Florida. Emphasizing modern and contemporary art, the museum hosts several traveling exhibitions annually to complement installations of works from its permanent collections. Dedicated to stewardship and scholarship, The Baker Museum provides world-class exhibitions and educational opportunities for Southwest Florida’s diverse community.
Led by CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen and Artistic and Music Director Alexander Shelley, Artis—Naples offers more than 800 paid and free events annually across its 8.5-acre Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus. Artis—Naples welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year for a broad array of artistic and educational opportunities perfect for audiences of all backgrounds and interests. The cultural campus is home to five buildings, including two performance halls (Frances Pew Hayes Hall and Myra J. Daniels Pavilion), the three-story Baker Museum, the Toni Stabile Education Building and the Kohan Administration Building.
The Baker Museum includes 17 galleries, an art library with a collection of more than 4,200 books, and a 17,650-square-foot addition designed by Weiss/Manfredi that opened in 2019.
Special features include four large-scale installations by popular glass artist Dale Chihuly and a notable collection of outdoor sculpture installed throughout the Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus.
Even the museum’s recent expansion and associated upgrade of the museum’s HVAC and lighting systems were done with an eye toward AAM accreditation as the same better equipped Artis—Naples to secure loaned art exhibits and general accreditation for permanent collections.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.