Peter Lynch Donates $20M In Art To Boston College Museum

CHESTNUT HILL, MA — Peter Lynch, vice chairman of Fidelity Management and Research Company and trustee associate at Boston College, has gifted $20 million worth of art to Boston College’s McMullen Museum of Art.

The 27 paintings and three drawings, including works from Pablo Picasso, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam, Albert Bierstadt, Martin Johnson Heade, and Jack Butler Yeats, were from Lynch and his late wife Carolyn’s private collection.

Lynch, who graduated from BC in 1965, said he hopes the collection will inspire students and visitors.

“My hope is that this artwork, all of which my wife Carolyn and I collected during our 50 years together, will help students to develop a deeper understanding of art and its importance as a form of expression,” he said in a statement. “All students definitely can learn from this collection, which includes a diversity of styles of painting, many of which depict the natural beauty of our country from its most celebrated painters. I also wanted to enhance the McMullen Museum’s permanent collection through our donation and encourage others to follow.”

The donation not only includes pieces from some of the world’s most acclaimed artists, but also an additional $5 million grant for the curation and exhibition of what will be called the Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch Collection, making the total gift one of the largest in BC’s history.

“This is a transformational gift for the McMullen Museum, allowing expansion of our role as a vital educational resource offered free of charge not only to the Boston College community but also to all students and the public, wherever they may be,” said Nancy Netzer, the Inaugural Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Director of the McMullen Museum, in a statement.

The Lynches have been longtime supporters of BC and have made multiple donations, including a gift of over $10 million in 1999 to name the Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch School of Education and Human Development and a $20 million gift in 2010 to establish The Lynch Leadership Academy, which trains and provides support for principals and aspiring principals in Massachusetts.

“I am an extremely lucky person who has been so blessed in life,” said Lynch. “Giving this collection to Boston College is a small way for me to give back.”