NEW YORK, NY.- The Morgan Library & Museum recently installed a large, custom-fabricated wall case in the lower level of its three-story central court to accommodate ongoing exhibitions of work from its renowned collections of art, literature, music, and photography.

The new case is the key element in an overall refurbishment of the space, which had largely remained unchanged since 2006 and the completion of the museum’s Renzo Piano-designed expansion. Currently, nineteenth-century French and British watercolors are featured in the case. They were recently given to the Morgan by Trustee Hamilton Robinson, Jr., and his wife, Roxana.

Works on paper form the vast majority of the Morgan’s holdings and are highly sensitive to light and humidity. The new case incorporates the latest in climate control and lighting technology. It is constructed of cherrywood, eighteen feet in length, and was underwritten by the Thaw Charitable Trust. Eugene V. Thaw is a Morgan Life Trustee and one of the institution’s most important benefactors. A comprehensive exhibition of drawings given to the Morgan by Mr. Thaw and his late wife, Clare, is now on view in the museum’s main galleries.

The lower level space also includes a selection of plein air oil sketches on the wall opposite the new case and is anchored on one end by a John Singer Sargent portrait of Jane Morgan, the wife of J.P. Morgan, Jr. On either side of this work are cases containing a bust of Benjamin Franklin and a recently restored life-mask of George Washington, part of the museum’s important collection of Americana. Both were created by celebrated sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon.

“The Morgan is always looking to display new acquisitions and significant works from our permanent collections,” said museum director Colin B. Bailey. “The new case allows us to do this throughout the year and feature even our most sensitive material. It adds an important element to the lower level space and we are deeply grateful to the Thaw Charitable Trust for its support of the project.”