PORTLAND, ORE.- The Portland Art Museum announced that a gift of $2 million was recently pledged by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation. The gift from the foundation, headquartered in Santa Barbara , Calif. , will endow the curator of modern and contemporary art. The position, currently held by Bruce Guenther , will now be known as The Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.

“We are grateful to Mercedes Eichholz and her family’s foundation for this generous and important gift,” said Brian Ferriso , The Marilyn H. and Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Director. “Endowing curatorial positions ensures that the core mission of the Museum is fulfilled.”

Mercedes Eichholz and her late husband Robert have been active supporters of the arts for decades, including connections with the National Gallery of Art and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Mrs. Eichholz lived in Portland from the late 1930s to the 1950s and was involved with the Museum during that time. Her son, Michael Davidson, is a Portland resident and a Museum member.

The Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation was established to support the arts and is overseen by its trustees, including family members Michael Davidson and daughter Alexa Davidson Suskin. The first installment of the pledged $2 million gift has been received by the Museum with the balance to be paid over the next three years.

“The importance of adding stability to the Museum by funding this curatorial position was key in the decision of the foundation,” said Mrs. Eichholz. “I hope that this gift will encourage others to step up and underwrite curatorial positions at the Museum or support the endowment.”

During the past five years the Museum has worked to endow all of its curatorial positions. With this gift, the Museum has five endowed curatorial positions and hopes to endow the remaining curatorial positions.

“A strong institutional endowment and endowments for key positions provides financial stability for the Museum’s mission in perpetuity,” said Ferriso. “This is the second major gift to the endowment in the past six months, following the endowment of the curator of photography in December. This reflects the quality of our curatorial staff, the excellence of the work they are doing in support of the mission, and the generosity and the leadership of donors like Mercedes Eichholz.”