Audrey Azoulay, Minister of Culture and Communication, salutes the memory of Spencer Hays, who has just left us brutally.
This entrepreneur was a great friend of France, a great friend of the arts and a lover of the Musée d'Orsay.
Spencer Hays had, with his wife Marlene, discovered and enjoyed art, museums and especially French painting, with particular attention to the Nabis. Together, they have built an exceptional collection and have chosen to offer France the treasures they have gathered over the course of their lives and whose temporary guardians they considered to be.
Spencer and Marlene Hays donated their collection to us so that visitors from around the world can share in the beauty of these works by Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, Maurice Denis and many others in the Musée d'Orsay.
The Minister extends her friendship and affection to Marlene, their children and grandchildren and the American Friends of the Orsay Museum Association.