Daphne Farago

1924 - 2017

FARAGO, DAPHNE
passed away peacefully in Delray Beach, Florida on July 23, 2017. She was born March 8, 1924 in Johannesburg, South Africa, the elder daughter of Hyman and Rachel (Berkowitch) Arcus.
Daphne met her husband, Peter, in Europe after WWII. As part of the relief effort, they worked to assist displaced persons. She emigrated first to Montreal, Canada and then to the U.S. in 1950. Following their marriage in 1951, Daphne and Peter settled in Providence, Rhode Island where they raised their family. Daphne cherished their summer home in Little Compton, on the shore of the Sakonnet River and Narragansett Bay. They had also resided in Marathon, Key West, and Key Biscayne Florida.
Daphne's love of the arts inspired her as a docent at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art in the early 1960's, the college where Peter had earned a textile engineering degree. A self-taught collector, she initially focused on American folk art and furniture. By the mid 1970's, Daphne was highly-regarded in the field. She eventually donated her collection to the RISD Museum of Art which established an exhibition center in her name.
She began a new second collection of contemporary craft, specializing in jewelry, glass, ceramics, fiber, and furniture. Daphne was an early benefactor and supporter of artists including Dale Chihuly, Ken Price, Sam Maloof, John Cederquist, Michael Glancy, Louis Mueller, Claus Bury and Wendell Castle. In recent years, she donated hundreds of works to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston which established the Daphne and Peter Farago Gallery to memorialize the gifts. As a collector, she was known for her discerning eye, and her ability to identify the most important work of emerging artists who became leaders in their fields. She favored lyrical forms inspired by the essential beauty and curiosity of the human experience. It was her desire to share her vision with the public, through her donations to Museum collections.
Daphne survived Peter and her sister Myra Goldberg. She leaves three children; Alan Farago and Lisa Versaci Farago, of Coral Gables, FL, Paul and Michelle Farago, of Asheville, NC, and Robert Farago, of Austin, TX, nine beloved grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. The family is especially appreciative of the care provided by Joan to our mother. Her legacy lives on in all who knew her and were touched by her great strength, beauty, love, passion, and generosity.
Her life will be commemorated by private family service. Donations in her name, used for art education, will be gratefully accepted: The Daphne and Peter Farago Fund, RISD Museum, 224 Benefit St., Providence, RI 02903.