Bard College unveils $50M endowment for Center for Curatorial Studies

The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College has announced a $50 million endowment comprised of a $25 million gift from the Marieluise Hessel Foundation, and a matching commitment of $25 million from business executive and philanthropist George Soros.

The new funding is part of a $1 billion endowment drive by the Annandale-on-Hudson school.

The Center for Curatorial Studies was founded in 1990 and focuses on the historical, intellectual and social conditions that shape contemporary art exhibit creation and presentation.

“This gift from the Marieluise Hessel Foundation marks a milestone moment in the 30-year history of CCS Bard,” said Tom Eccles, executive director of the Center for Curatorial Studies and founding director of the Hessel Museum of Art on the Bard campus.

He added that the foundation”™s “generosity will allow us to build on that legacy and continue to advance new ideas in curatorial practice and contemporary art. Above all, it is a gift to the future.”