Late in 2025, Jennifer and Marc Lipschultz committed a landmark collection of nearly 5,000 photographs to the Vanderbilt University Museum of Art. Their most recent gift of photographs, combined with those they pledged at the end of 2024, has a value of approximately $17 million and features work from hundreds of photographers, including Bill Owens, Danny Lyon, Berenice Abbott, Lalla Essaydi and Dorothy Norman.
The collection solidifies VUMA's position as a regional leader in photography and works on paper and makes it home to the largest collection of art in the state of Tennessee-and to one of the most extensive collections of works on paper in the Southeast.
The collection spans urban street photography, portraits and themes that are ideal for inspiring student immersion and a range of programming. It also features a unique emphasis on photojournalism-including iconic press photos from World War II, the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement.
To make sure that students, faculty and the community can access and engage with these important works, the Lipschultz family has also given funding to support the cataloging and digitization of their photographs.
Jennifer and Marc Lipschultz, who is co-CEO of Blue Owl Capital, had no official ties to Vanderbilt before making this gift. "We are impressed by how boldly Vanderbilt is thinking about the future of higher education and expanding the definition of what it can encompass," Marc Lipschultz says. "Jennifer and I are confident that our photographs are in good hands under Chancellor Diermeier and Provost Raver's vision for the arts, innovation and discovery at large."
-Staff Reports
