A Living Legacy: Gifts from Lynn Gross Straus
June 20–September 20, 2026
The collection at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center has been greatly enhanced by gifts from Lynn Gross Straus, Vassar class of 1946, and her husband, Philip. Over the course of more than forty years until his passing in 2004 and hers at the age of ninety-seven in 2023, they donated a wide array of objects spanning five centuries. Among these generous donations were prints by European artists active in the early 1900s, like Erich Heckel, Käthe Kollwitz, and Edvard Munch, as well as later twentieth-century American figures, such as Lee Bontecou, Helen Frankenthaler, and Frank Stella.
These gifts were always intended to be used for teaching and research in order to foster deeper appreciation and understanding of the creative process and artistic imagination. Throughout her life as an ardent patron, donating works of art to Vassar and Harvard University (Philip’s alma mater) and supporting various projects and initiatives, Lynn was a tireless advocate of education for learners of all ages. Many of the nearly fifty works she gave are on view together for the first time.
A Living Legacy: Gifts from Lynn Gross Straus was organized by Bart Thurber, the Anne Hendricks Bass Director, with contributions from John P. Murphy, the Philip and Lynn Straus Curator of Prints and Drawings, and Ruby Funfrock ’24, and is generously supported through the Friends of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center Exhibition Fund.
About Lynn Gross Straus
Lynn Gross Straus (1925–2023), Vassar class of 1946, was a philanthropist, adventurer, avid art collector, and champion of early childhood education. After Vassar, she earned a master’s degree from Bank Street College of Education. In the 1960s, as co-director of the Village 4s in Mamaroneck, New York, she created an innovative pre-kindergarten curriculum that became a model for the national Head Start program.
Beyond the gifts of art celebrated in this exhibition, Lynn and her husband, Philip, supported annual giving, special projects, and endowments at her alma mater. They also gave funds for the renovation of campus buildings and were the lead donors to the Exploring Transfer program, an initiative to give community college students a chance to consider opportunities at a four-year liberal arts institution. In addition to being among the College’s biggest benefactors, she dedicated her time to Vassar by serving as a member of the Board of Trustees and on her Class Reunion Gift Committee.
For years, Lynn was an active member of the Friends of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. She played a pivotal role on its advisory board for nearly a decade. In honor of Lynn’s fiftieth reunion, she and Philip endowed the Philip and Lynn Straus Curator of Prints and Drawings position, leaving behind a legacy that extends well beyond the campus community.
Perspectives from Students
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