Empire Makers

The Washington Flyer

January/February 2012

By John Greenya

Empire Makers

There are art collectors. And then there are Donald &Mera Rubell, who share their art by building museum spaces- including one inDC.

Mera and Donald Rubell do not dream about small things. Theydream about transformation, transcendence and the stuff of legacy.

Artistic legacies, naturally. “We collect whatever theartist makes – paintings, sculpture, videos, drawings,” says Mera. “But,” herhusband of 47 years, Donald, adds, “we don’t buy to sell. We collect to showand to share.”

. . .

Asked why she and Donald chose to build an arts complex inWashington, Mera replies, “We Asked ourselves where we should focus, and werealized that Washington was the one place we never miss going to.  For us, the museums in DC were always asource of endless intrigue and fascination. It is one of the greatinternational tourist cities – and for the most part its museums are free, whichis unheard of around the world.”

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