Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008 | 2 a.m.
Collector and patron of the arts, Wally Goodman died Sunday at the age of 85. He discovered his interest in art as a child when his nanny would take him to the Art Institute of Chicago.
With his clever wit, perfectly coiffured white hair, sparkling eyes and mischievous smile, Wally Goodman was the epitome of old-school charm.
A gala here. An art opening there. The dashing Goodman and his longtime friend Patrick Duffy attended the best parties, gave generously to museums and supported emerging artists.
Goodman, 85, died Sunday at the Las Vegas home he shared with Duffy and their dog, Priscilla. The news created a ripple in art circles from Chicago to San Francisco to Santa Fe.
“Art was a part of his life and the nice thing about Wally is that he was always a creature of his appetite,” art critic Dave Hickey said. “He’s the sort of person you want in the art world ... He was relentlessly inquisitive and never lost his appetite.”
Born July 24, 1922, into a well-to-do Chicago family, Goodman discovered his interest in art in childhood when his nanny would take him to the Art Institute of Chicago.
His collecting began with WPA lithographs and evolved over the years to include European modern artists such as Paul Klee and Henri Matisse and American contemporary works. An advocate for art, he encouraged others. “He opened people’s eyes and hearts to collecting,” said Paula Kirkeby of Smith Andersen Editions in Palo Alto, who met Goodman more than 40 years ago when he was living in San Francisco and involved in museums there.
Goodman and Duffy moved to Las Vegas from Chicago in 2001 and immediately began supporting the community. They donated a kinetic sculpture by Fletcher Benton to the Guggenheim Foundation, purchased works from local galleries, lectured on the importance of collecting and gave $500,000 worth of art to the Las Vegas Art Museum. The door to their vast collection was always open to interested visitors. Goodman loved to keep the conversation on art going.
“Wally was a born connoisseur who inspired everyone around him with his gift for really ‘seeing’ in all situations,” said Elizabeth Herridge, managing director of the Guggenheim Hermitage. “He was kindness and gentleness personified. The fact that he would disagree with me and speak his mind so freely, and in such a charming manner, made me feel that we were real friends as we could say anything to each other and I was always assured of his honest assessment.”
Art dealer Naomi Arin said Goodman and Duffy were Dust Gallery’s first and most avid supporters. Captivated by his charm, Arin admired Goodman and saw his thumbprints everywhere.
“I’ve gone to museums from Chicago to Honolulu and inevitably there will be a marker that says, ‘Donated by Wally Goodman and Patrick Duffy.’ ”
Libby Lumpkin, executive director of the Las Vegas Art Museum, said Goodman was one of the first serious collectors to arrive in Las Vegas and he helped build the community.
Moreover, she said, “Wally was one of the most charming people you’ll ever know -- educated, debonair, dapper, and he had a wicked sense of humor. Anyone who knew Wally had affection for him. He will be missed a great deal.”
Duffy, who met Goodman in 1987, sums up his longtime friend as “a civilized Renaissance man, of a breed one can only read about.”
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