Bagley Wright

Bagley Wright, president of Bagley Wright Investments, was a developer of Seattle's landmark Space Needle and chair of Physio Control Corp. from 1968 until its acquisition by Eli Lilly in 1980.cite news | last =Harmon | first =Justin | title =Seattle Developer Gives $4 Million to Princeton for Dormitory Renovation | work =News from Princeton University | language = English | publisher = Princeton University | date = 1999-06-03 | url = http://www.princeton.edu/pr/news/99/q2/0603-wright.htm | accessdate = 2007-11-01 ] Wright and his wife Virginia are well known art patrons and philanthropists.cite web | last = Mohlman | first =Melissa | authorlink =Melissa Mohlman
title =Collecting Art in Seattle: Yesterday and Today | work =Seattle Collects Paintings: Works from Private Collections
publisher =Traditional Fine Arts Organization | date =1997 | url =http://www.tfaoi.com/newsm1/n1m407.htm | accessdate = 2007-11-01 ] cite press release | title = Seattle Art Museum Celebrates its Upcoming 75th Anniversary with an Unprecedented Gift of Nearly 1,000 Works of Art from over 40 Collections. Highlights of Gift to be Unveiled at May 5 Opening of SAM’s Expansion | publisher = Seattle Art Museum | date = 2007-03-30 | url =http://www.seattleartmuseum.net/pressRoom/PDF/SAM%20gift%20announcement.pdf | accessdate = 2007-11-01 ]

Background

Wright, who has been called the "patron saint of the arts" in Seattle, began his career as a newspaper reporter and editor in New York. In 1956 he moved to the Seattle area, where he started his own real estate development company.

Bagley Wright was one of the five principal developers who organized the "Pentagram Corporation" to build the 605-foot Seattle Space Needle, the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River, which was completed for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. The other 4 partners were; contractor Howard S. Wright, architect John Graham, financier Ned Skinner, and timber magnate Norton Clapp. In 1977 Bagley Wright, Skinner and Clapp sold their interests to Howard S. Wright. [cite web | title =Space Needle Fun Facts | date =2003 | url =http://www.spaceneedle.com/about/funfacts.asp | accessdate = 2007-11-01 ]

In the 1950s, Wright and his wife Virginia (Jinny), who studied art at Barnard College, began collecting art with paintings by Mark Rothko, Franz Kline, and Barnett Newman. The "Virginia and Bagley Wright Collection", grew to more than 200 works, becoming the most extensive collection of modern and contemporary art in the Pacific Northwest. Virginia Wright is the daughter of Prentice Bloedel, a prominent timber family in the Pacific Northwest. [cite web | last =Warren | first =James R.| author-link = James R. Warren | title =Bloedel, Prentice (1900-1996) | date =2003 | url =http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5227 | accessdate = 2007-02-17 ]

The Wrights have made a point of collecting the art of their time, adding works by Helen Frankenthaler, David Smith, Kenneth Noland, Anthony Caro, Donald Judd, Carl Andre, Claes Oldenburg, Ellsworth Kelly, Tony Smith, Ed Ruscha, John Chamberlain, Mark Di Suvero, David Salle, Julian Schnabel, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, David Hammons, Robert Gober, Kiki Smith, John Currin, Maurizio Cattelan and Roxy Paine. Some of the collection was featured in a special exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, where Wright once served as acting director. In 2007 the Wrights pledged their collection to the Seattle Art Museum and the Olympic Sculpture Park.

Wright also served as founding president of the Seattle Repertory Theatre, which later honored him by naming its theater for him, and he has been a board member of the Seattle Symphony. Wright started the fund drive for the Seattle Symphony's Benaroya Hall. [Citation | last =Hackett | first =Regina | author-link = Regina Hackett | title =Virginia and Bagley Wright's passion for art is a priceless gift to the Northwest | newspaper = Seattle Post-Intelligencer | year =1999 | date =1999-03-04 | url = http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/visualart/wright.shtml]

See also

*Seattle Art Museum
*Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park
*Seattle Repertory Theatre
*Seattle Symphony

References

External links