Richard Manoogian began his passion for collecting American art seriously in the 1970s after he became a trustee of the Detroit Institute of Arts in what he called a “civic duty”. He was soon moved by the enthusiasm of other collectors and began purchasing art. Subsequently, he was also appointed to and served for many years on the White House Preservation Committee and the Fine Arts Committee at the State Department. His business interests regularly took him to New York and other major cities where he would steal an hour or two away from meetings to visit museums and galleries, often making a special trip somewhere to see just a single work of art. His first acquisitions included Jackson Pollock, Frank Stella, Franz Kline and David Smith. Richard often says, “unfortunately, my home had limited wall space, which made collecting large contemporary painting difficult.”

Ultimately, however, he found his greatest pleasure in collecting nineteenth-century American art. Including landscapes created by artists who were members of the Hudson River School that reflect the energy of a young and growing nation; genre pictures that record a now vanished way of life; trompe l’oeil and still lifes that in their precision and detail, celebrate the skill of the master craftsman; and light-filled impressionist views. He never collected with the idea of being encyclopedic. He found it very enjoyable to locate a terrific painting by a lesser-known artist; a work of high quality by someone who no one ever heard about or really appreciated.

Richard’s wife, Jane, had a major influence on his collecting. Her support and “tolerance” of all the time and energy that goes into collecting has been invaluable. She has a natural instinct for judging the quality of paintings and Richard has often regretted the times he did not act upon her advice.

Venues included the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. A significant exhibition from the Manoogian Collection included A Private View, encompassing approximately 35 small 19th century America paintings traveled from 1996 through 1998 to nine Michigan museums. This exhibition enabled museums in Michigan rural areas to exhibit in their communities paintings by major 19th century American artists.

Richard was honored to be the first collector to share 19th century American art in Japan. From the Hudson River School to Impressionism:  American Paintings from the Manoogian Collection traveled to five museums in Japan from July 1997 until February 1998.

Over the years, Richard has also built collections of American bronzes, 19th century American silver, African American art, Oceanic art and Native American artifacts.

To acknowledge his contribution to the visual arts, on December 11, 2007, the Detroit Institute of Arts officially dedicated the wing housing the American Art collection to Richard by designating that space as “The Manoogian Wing.”

“I have always collected very instinctively,” said Mr. Manoogian. “A private collection is by nature very personal and, while I consulted academic experts, of the thousands of works I have acquired I was involved in every decision. It was my one diversion from work.”

“When I walked into the new American Wing, I thought it was outstanding. The new design and colors, the groupings of work and the way decorative arts and paintings are integrated is spectacular,” Mr. Manoogian said, recalling a visit to the Manoogian Wing.  He continues to refer to the space as the American Wing because according to Richard, it is the art on the wall that is important, not the name.

In 2008, the College for Creative Studies in Detroit awarded Richard with an honorary degree for his significant contribution to the remarkable renovation of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Since 1989, the Manoogians have exhibited their collection at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island from Memorial Day through Labor Day. They have a cottage on the island where they have enjoyed spending their summers and have loved to share parts of their collection with the residents and visitors during the summer months.