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Robin Litton
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Alumnus' gift to
museum's permanent collection
“I never started out to be a collector of
art,” said Robin Litton.
“In
1957, I was a music major at IUP and was invited to the house of
a favorite professor and his wife. While there, I was quite taken with
some of the drawings that hung on their walls. I asked, ‘Who did
these?’ and his wife said she did.
“That was the first time I had been impressed
by an artist like that,” said Litton.
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The professor’s wife introduced Litton to the
work of several artists,including her favorite artist, Mary Cassatt.
“She [Cassatt]
immediately, of course, became my favorite artist,”
said Litton.
It wasn’t until 20
years later that Litton finally came across a Cassatt work he could
afford (see right-hand image).
“It’s just an etching, but it was the first
piece of what now is a substantial art collection of more than 400
pieces.”
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Mother and Child with Mirror
Mary Cassatt
etching
8" x 10"
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Joe Leon
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The collection is shared
between Litton and his long-time partner Joseph Leon, and it reflects
their homes in Woodstock, N.Y., and Holmes Beach, Fla., and their
personalities.
“Our
tastes vary considerably,” said Litton. “Joe gravitates toward
the older, staid and conservative Woodstock artists, while I prefer the
modern and abstract works with their violent colors.”
Litton moved with Leon to Woodstock in 1970
and grew interested in the Woodstock colony of artists.
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“I decided that I’d like to have a work by
every Woodstock artist on my walls. It was only an ambition. I don’t
think I really considered myself a collector of art until the
‘90s.
“Even now, I’m not an objective
collector, and I don’t collect based on speculation. It’s about what
and who I like.
“I liked most
of these [Woodstock] artists, and I got to know them,” said Litton.
“Many of these people are dying now, but, through the art, I feel that
I still get to visit with my friends. I wanted to keep these people
in my life.”
Litton and
Leon are in the process of selling their Woodstock residence and, as a
result, are making a gift of their combined collection to
the University Museum.
The museum may begin to receive pieces from
the Litton-Leon collection as early as spring 2001, said Richard Field,
former museum director.
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