Samuel Henry Kress

Infobox Person
name = Samuel Henry Kress


caption =
birth_date = birth date |1863|7|23
birth_place = Cherryville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
death_date = death date and age|1955|9|22|1863|7|23
death_place = New York City, New York, U.S.
occupation = Founder of S. H. Kress & Co.
networth =
spouse = Never married
children = None
alma_mater =
website =


footnotes =

Samuel Henry Kress (July 23, 1863–September 22, 1955) was a businessman and philanthropist, founder of the S. H. Kress & Co. five and ten cent store chain. With his fortune, Kress amassed one of the most significant collections of Italian Renaissance and European artwork assembled in the 20th century. In the 1950s and 1960s, a foundation established by Kress would donate 776 works of art from the Kress collection to 18 regional art museums in the United States.Citation| last=Gehman | first=Geoff | title=Friendship brought Old Masters treasure trove to Allentown. | newspaper=The Morning Call | pages=E.01 | year=2007 | date=October 7, 2007]

Biography

Kress was born in the village of Cherryville, near Allentown, Pennsylvania. He worked as a schoolteacher before going into business. In '1887 he opened a "stationery and notions" store in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. As the business prospered he used his profits to open additional stores, naming the chain S. H. Kress & Co. He never married or had children.

. H. Kress & Co.

S. H. Kress & Co., a chain of "five and dime" retail department stores, was started in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, by Samuel H. Kress in 1896. Eventually expanding to over 200 locations nationwide, Kress stores were long a familiar sight in most cities and towns of the United States. The Kress chain was known for the fine architecture of the stores, with a number of locations being hailed by architects for their design. A number of former Kress stores, now put to other uses, are ranked as landmarks. Some of the most well-known Kress locations included New York City's Fifth Avenue, Canal Street, New Orleans, and one at Hollywood's Hollywood Boulevard. In 1964 ownership of Kress was acquired by Genesco, Inc. The company abandoned its center-city stores and moved to the shopping malls. Genesco began liquidating Kress and closing down the Kress stores in 1980.

Art Collector

Kress was a lover of art, especially that of the Italian Renaissance.

The Kress Foundation

In 1929, at the age of 65, he established the Kress Foundation to promote understanding and appreciation of European art in the United States. Kress was a major early donor to the U.S. National Gallery of Art. He also donated art to more than 40 other U.S. museums. Samuel H. Kress died in New York City.

American museums having important Samuel H. Kress Collections

National Building Museum, Washington, DC

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (Paintings 376, Sculptures 94, Bronzes 1307, Drawings 38)

Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA (Paintings 50, Sculptures 3)

High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA (Paintings 29, Sculptures 3, Furniture 13)

Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL (Paintings 34, Sculpture 2, Furniture 13, Decorative Arts 4)

Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC (Paintings 46, Sculptures 2, Bronzes 11, Furniture 9, Tapestries 10)

Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami Coral Gables, FL (Paintings 44, Sculptures 3)

Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO (Paintings 46, Sculptures 4)

El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, TX (Paintings 56, Sculpture 2)

Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI (Paintings 14)

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX (Paintings 30)

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO (Paintings 9, Sculptures 2)

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN (Paintings 27, Sculptures 2)

New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA (Paintings 29)

Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR (Paintings 30, Sculptures 2)

North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC (Paintings 73, Sculptures 2)

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (Paintings 37, Sculpture 1)

Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA (Paintings 33, Sculptures 2)

University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ (Paintings 60, Sculptures 3)

Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK (Paintings 30, Sculpture 6)

References

External links

* [http://www.kressfoundation.org/index.html Samuel H. Kress Foundation]
* [http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/ggfound/ggfound-42119.0.html Samuel Henry Kress on National Gallery of Art Site] .