Jay McKean Fisher, a curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art who organized numerous exhibitions in his 45 years at the institution, died of dementia Thursday at Roland Park Place. He was 74 years old and had lived in Bolton Hill and Reservoir Hill.
Asma Naeem, director of the museum, called Mr. Fisher “one of the longest-serving curators in BMA history and a model of intellect and compassion.
“Simply put, Jay transformed the very fabric of who we are as an institution. …He helped transform the prints, drawings and photographs (department) into one of the finest and most respected collections of works on paper in the country,” he said.
Mr. Fisher was a key component of an “international blockbuster” show, “Matisse and Modern Masters from The Cone Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art,” a traveling exhibition of works on paper presented in Japan from 1996 to 1997. said Ms. Naeem. saying.
“The most important thing about Jay was his incredible kindness and compassion,” Naeem said. “Jay cared about people above all else.”
Born in Portland, Oregon, he was the son of Frederick Fisher and his wife, Suzanne Cunningham. He earned degrees from Occidental College and Williams College.
He came to Baltimore in 1975 as an assistant curator with a fascination for 19th-century French prints and drawings.
Tom Freudenheim, former BMA director, said: “I hired Jay and watched his career. He never showed you the knowledge of him. He was capable and erudite in a non-academic way.”
“He had endless curiosity and had the ability to make people look at things in a new and fresh way,” said Katy Rothkopf, senior curator at the BMA. “He was happy with his work.”
Fisher opened many doors at the museum (to art scholars and museum curators) and also gave lectures.
“He was a great teacher, mentor, great boss and best friend,” Rothkopf said. “He loved sharing the collections here.”
Mr. Fisher became chief curator of prints, drawings and photographs. He organized the museum exhibitions “Matisse: Painter as Sculptor” (2007), “Photographs, Drawings and Collages of Frederick Sommer and Surrealist Art from the BMA Collection” (1999) and “The Impressions of Édouard Manet: A Centenary Celebration ” (1983).
He was also involved in the acquisition of the George A. Lucas Collection of 19th-century French art, the Gallagher/Dalsheimer Collection of American photography, and more than 500 works by Matisse.
He was also the inaugural director of the Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies.
“He was absolutely dedicated to Matisse’s work. “We have been able to tell more stories about Matisse thanks to the donations of works on paper that came to the collection under Jay’s auspices,” Ms. Rothkopf said.
Mr. Fisher was also remembered for his work forging ties with the Maryland Institute College of Art.
“Jay was a friend of MICA; he helped form the first BMA Friends of Photography group, which brought us into contact with important photographers, curators and important collectors,” said Jack Wilgus, retired MICA faculty member and head of department. “He helped organize a MICA internship program that provided students with valuable work experience.”
Wilgus said Fisher brought important photographers to Baltimore to hold exhibitions and give lectures.
“Jay brought (African-American documentary photojournalist) Gordon Parks to Baltimore and even had him play the piano,” Wilgus said. “It was an incredible evening for me and my students. It was one of those nights you will never forget.”
“Jay had insight, talent and commitment,” said Doreen Bolger, a former museum director who retired in 2015. “It was really true that the BMA was Jay’s entire life. He gave body and soul.”
Mr. Fisher’s nephew, Joshua D. Lee, said: “Jay was a proud gay man. He had a community and a museum to serve. “His work was essential to him: it helped him get up in the morning.”
Mr. Fisher lived on Park Avenue in Reservoir Hill and enjoyed long-distance biking and kayaking throughout Maryland. He once crossed the country on a bicycle.
Friends said Mr. Fisher ate lunch at Gertrude’s restaurant and was a devotee of the museum’s sculpture gardens.
“He worked hard to make the museum shine,” Rothkopf said.
He is survived by a brother, Robert Fisher of Bothell, Washington; a sister, Judith Fisher Lee of Knoxville, Tennessee; and five nieces and nephews.
