Judge Phyllis W. Beck To Step Down As The Barnes Foundation's General Counsel
May 11, 2009, Lower Merion, PA - Derek Gillman, President and Executive Director of the Barnes Foundation announced today that Judge Phyllis W. Beck will resign her position as General Counsel and Secretary at the Barnes Foundation effective today.
"Judge Beck's departure will be a tremendous loss for the Barnes Foundation" said Derek Gillman, "her wisdom, experience and collaborative nature have had a huge impact during her tenure at the Foundation. Phyllis has effectively dealt with the recent legal challenges to the move of the art collection and outstanding legal issues left behind from years of litigation. She has worked tirelessly, and cheerfully, to prepare the way legally for the move of the art collection to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Beyond her responsibilities as General Counsel and Secretary, Phyllis has worked closely with the executive staff and board on initiatives to increase awareness of the Barnes Arboretum and horticultural programs going forward in Merion, and renewing and fostering a relationship with the De Mazia Foundation. We will all miss our daily interactions with Phyllis terribly but I am pleased to announce that she has agreed to stay on as General Counsel Emerita, and help us from time to time. "
In informing the Board of Trustees and Derek Gillman of her decision to step down, Judge Beck stated. "Now that all of the major legal issues that have plagued the Barnes Foundation for so long have been cleared, I intend to step down from my day-to-day function as General Counsel. I believe more than ever that the best chance for the future of the Barnes lies in moving the art collection to the Parkway in Center City Philadelphia. I am proud to have been a part of the team that is making that move a reality and I will remain a strong and vocal supporter of the move, as I continue on in my Emeritas role."
About The Honorable Phyllis W. Beck
Judge Beck started her career in private practice and joined Temple University School of Law as an associate professor in 1974. She became vice dean at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1976, and held that position until she was appointed in 1981 to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. The first woman to serve as a judge on the Superior Court, Judge Beck became Senior Judge at the end of 1997, and stepped down from the bench in 2005. Judge Beck currently serves Chair of the Board of Directors and Chief Financial Officer of the Independence Foundation, as well as being a trustee on several boards including the Cultural Alliance, the Free Library, and the Jewish Museum.
About the Barnes Foundation
The Barnes Foundation was established by Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to "promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts." Currently located in a 12-acre arboretum, the Paul Cret-designed Gallery houses one of the world's largest collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings, with extensive holdings by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Rousseau, Modigliani, Soutine and de Chirico, as well as Old Master paintings, important examples of African sculpture and Native American ceramics, American furniture and metalwork, and antiquities from the Mediterranean region and Asia.
For more information on the Barnes Foundation please visit www.barnesfoundation.org
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For more information, contact:
The Barnes Foundation
Andrew Stewart, (610) 667-0290 x1567 or (610) 608-6895
astewart@barnesfoundation.org
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