LONDON (AP) 鈥� Britain鈥檚 art museum on Thursday unveiled one of the most significant gifts it has received in years 鈥� a masterpiece by an American abstract expressionist that hung for years on a bedroom wall in Miami.
Joan Mitchell鈥檚 painting 鈥淚va鈥� is the centerpiece of a major donation from Florida-based philanthropists Jorge M. P茅rez and Darlene P茅rez that also will help Tate expand its collection of works by Latin American and African artists.
The 20 foot-long (6 meter-long) triptych featuring bold strokes of purple, red, yellow and white 鈥� painted in 1973 and named for Mitchell鈥檚 much-loved German Shepherd 鈥� went on public display Thursday next to a roomful of murals by U.S. artist Mark Rothko that is one of Tate Modern鈥檚 biggest draws.
Tate director Maria Balshaw said the big, bold Rothko canvasses are among the museum鈥檚 鈥渃rown jewels,鈥� and Mitchell鈥檚 鈥渟pectacular鈥� painting 鈥渨ill truly shine鈥� in their company.
Balshaw said Mitchell 鈥� like many female artists 鈥渦nderappreciated鈥� during her lifetime 鈥� should take her rightful place alongside her male peers.
Prices for Mitchell鈥檚 work have soared since her death in 1992, with an untitled painting selling at Christie鈥檚 auction house in 2023 for $29 million. Such prices put her works beyond the reach of most public art museums.
Tate 鈥� a group of British galleries with its origins in the late 19th-century 鈥� is working to rebalance a collection long dominated by white male artists. It has purchased more works by women than men in every year since 2019.
The P茅rez donation includes works by artists from Africa and the African diaspora, to be given to Tate over the coming years, and a multimillion-dollar endowment that will fund curators for African and Latin American art at Tate Modern.
Jorge P茅rez, an Argentina-born real estate developer, said it鈥檚 important that art from Africa and Latin America 鈥済et the exposure in great museums, in great cities of the world, which they haven鈥檛 had.鈥�
The P茅rez family has given more than $100 million to Miami鈥檚 public art museum, now called the P茅rez Art Museum Miami.
鈥淚va鈥� hung for years on the bedroom wall in the couple's Miami home, and Jorge P茅rez said parting with it was wrenching.
It went on display the morning after President Donald Trump announced tariffs on U.S. trading partners, with global divisions on many minds.
Jorge P茅rez, a former friend of Trump who has criticized the president鈥檚 policies, said the importance of art is that it 鈥渃onnects people."
鈥淚t connects people of all types, and makes people understand cultures that are not theirs, and see not only the differences, but the similarities between cultures,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I think that鈥檚 beautiful.鈥�
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
