IRIS CANTOR

CANTOR--Iris. The Trustees and staff of The Metropolitan Museum of Art mourn the passing of Iris Cantor, an extraordinary philanthropist, Trustee, and steadfast champion of the Museum. For more than four decades, Iris, together with her late husband, B. Gerald Cantor, believed deeply in the power of art to inspire, challenge, and educate, shaping The Met in enduring and meaningful ways. From their transformative gifts of works by Auguste Rodin and sustained support for nineteenth-century European sculpture to the creation of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Exhibition Hall, the Cantor Sculpture Gallery, and the Cantor Roof Garden -- an inspired initiative she championed and a beloved platform for contemporary artists -- her vision is woven into the fabric of the Museum. Elected a Benefactor in 1983, Iris also served as an Elective Trustee from 1990 to 2005, and later Trustee Emerita, and she brought imagination, clarity of purpose, and deep personal commitment to her leadership across the Acquisitions and Education Committees and the Visiting Committees for Modern and Contemporary Art and for European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. The Cantors' far-reaching endowment support for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, and an endowed curatorship ensured that generations of scholars, artists, and visitors would benefit from their foresight and generosity. Beyond The Met, Iris was a national philanthropic leader, advancing scholarship in the visual arts and championing women's healthcare through the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, always guided by her conviction that museums are not only repositories of great works, but also places of encounter and understanding. We are profoundly grateful for her decades of devoted service and extend our deepest condolences to her family. Candace Beinecke, Co-Chair; Hamilton E. James, Co-Chair; Max Hollein, Marina Kellen French Director and CEO