Directorial Correspondence: The Correspondence of Duncan Phillips

Duncan Phillips was born in 1886 in Pittsburgh, PA. He lived in Washington, D.C. from 1895 until his death, in 1966. He opened a museum, today called The Phillips Collection, at the time, called Phillips Memorial Gallery in commemoration of his brother and father. He married an artist, Marjorie Acker in 1921 as well. Marjorie took over as the director of the museum following Duncan Phillips's death. Marjorie and Duncan had a son named Laughlin Phillips in 1924.

Duncan Phillips studied English at Yale University from 1904-1908. In the years following his graduation he continued his interest in art and collected pieces thanks to a stipend of $10,000 given to him and his brother, Jim Phillips, annually by their father, Duncan Clinch Phillips.

Duncan Phillips eventually gained notoriety as an art critic and published a number of pieces about modern and contemporary art. As founder of America’s first museum of modern art, Duncan Phillips created and maintained relationships with artists, critics, scholars, and other museum directors. These relationships can be seen through this collection. This collection also allows insight into the details of running a museum in the early and mid-twentieth century.