(New York—November 13, 2012) Marica F. Vilcek has been elected an Honorary Trustee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, it was announced today by Daniel Brodsky, the Museum’s Chairman. Ms. Vilcek’s election took place at the November 13 meeting of the Board.
Ms. Vilcek serves on the Museum’s Major Gifts Committee, visiting committees for the Department of the Art of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas; Sherman Fairchild Center for Works on Paper and Photograph Conservation; and Department of Objects Conservation. She is also a member of the Chairman’s Council and the William Cullen Bryant Fellows of The American Wing. In 2010, she was elected a Benefactor.
Mr. Brodsky commented: “Marica Vilcek has been involved with the Met for more than 45 years, first as a dedicated member of the staff, and then as an active and interested member of several committees and other support groups. It is a pleasure to welcome her to the Board.”
“In countless ways and for many years, the Museum has benefited from the staunch advocacy and loyal friendship of Marica Vilcek,” Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum, stated. “Her history of support has grown steadily, culminating in a generous endowment gift that she made, together with her husband Jan, to establish a curatorship in American decorative arts. Marica’s deep and longstanding commitment to the Met has given her a unique perspective that will enhance and strengthen the Museum’s Board.”
Educated in art history at Comenius University (Bratislava) and Charles University (Prague), Marica Vilcek left Czechoslovakia in 1965 with her husband, a medical scientist, and moved to New York City. Her affiliation with the Metropolitan Museum began in 1964, when she was hired as a cataloguer in the Office of the Registrar and Catalogue. She was Associate Curator in Charge of the Accessions and Catalogue Department from 1974 to 1996.
She is a founding member and vice president/secretary of the Vilcek Foundation. Marica and Jan Vilcek are supporters of the arts and medical research, particularly recognizing the work of foreign-born Americans. Among her honors are the Michael S. Modell Humanitarian Award from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (2005), Outstanding New Yorker from the Center for an Urban Future (2011), and Steven K. Fischel Distinguished Public Service Award from the American Immigrant Council, Washington, D.C. (2012).
Ms. Vilcek also serves on the board of the New York Youth Symphony.
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November 13, 2012
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