Little Rock couple donate 105 works of art to the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts

Robyn and John Horn of Little Rock have donated 105 works of art from their private collection to the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, the art center’s executive director announced Monday.

Victoria Ramirez, the museum’s executive director, announced the donation to board members and other supporters at the museum’s annual luncheon in its Cultural Living Room. The Horns have previously donated more than 50 art works to the museum.

Ramirez said the gift will include clay, metal, wood, glass and works on paper that will “significantly strengthen AMFA’s nationally renowned contemporary craft and works on paper collection.” She added the works include some by renowned artists like Barbara Hepworth, Louise Nelvelson, Anthony Caro and Isamu Noguchi.

“Because of Robyn and John’s interest in both emerging and established artists, this gift will add depth and breadth to the collection, ultimately helping the museum present a more complete and compelling story,” Ramirez said.

Previously known as the Arkansas Arts Center, the museum underwent a major transformation, including a name change to the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. The rebranding was part of a larger project involving extensive renovations and expansions to the building and surrounding grounds. The museum reopened to the public in April 2023 after being closed since 2019 for renovations.

“Thanks to the generosity of Robyn and John, additional outdoor sculptures will be added to the collection and to the landscape of MacArthur Park. As with their earlier gifts, these new works are helping to redefine the park as a space of contemplation, inspiration and play,” Ramirez said.

“By featuring outdoor sculpture of this scale, AMFA is doing something few museums can — we are bringing our collection into the open air where it can be experienced freely by the public. With these ongoing gifts, Robyn and John have given the museum one of the largest and most expansive collections of contemporary craft and sculpture, featuring artists from Arkansas to across the globe and spanning a remarkable range of media.”

Robyn Horn is an artist who is focused on works in wood. In 1984, she began working on the lathe making wood bowls and vases which eventually evolved into carving wood sculpture. John Horn is a letterpress printer, according to her website, robynhorn.com.

Martin Muller of California is about to donate 119 works that will “enrich our holdings in modern, Eastern European art and contemporary artists, while significantly stretching our works on paper collection,” Ramirez said. More information on that donation will be announced later, according to a news release.

In 2024, the museum welcomed more than 140,000 guests from around the world. That year, the museum’s revenue totaled $12.19 million while expenses tallied $12.17 million.

In October, the museum will present “Architects of Being: Louise Nevelson and Esphyr Slobodkina,” an exhibit that will bring together sculptures, collages, jewelry and clothing by the two female artists. The exhibit has been five years in the making and will be on display Oct. 3-Jan. 11, 2026.

Ramirez said that after the Little Rock show, the exhibit will travel to the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va., and to the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut.

“This national tour is an important milestone for AMFA,” Ramirez said. “It speaks to the caliber of our curatorial work and the growing recognition of AMFA’s role in shaping the future of art.”

Also at the luncheon, the Winthrop Rockefeller Memorial Award was presented posthumously to Susan L. Day, a longtime docent at the museum who died of cancer last fall. Her husband Skip Clemmons accepted the award in her honor.

The chairmen of Tabriz 2027 — the museum’s biennial black-tie fundraiser — also were announced. The chairs are Tabietha, Bill Dillard III, Mary and Dave Ritchey.