Jay McKean Fisher, longtime Baltimore Museum of Art curator, dies

Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun
·4 min read

Jay McKean Fisher, a Baltimore Museum of Art curator who organized numerous exhibitions in his 45 years at the institution, died of dementia Thursday at Roland Park Place. He was 74 and had lived in Bolton Hill and Reservoir Hill.

Asma Naeem, the museum’s director, called Mr. Fisher “one of the longest-serving curators in BMA history and a paragon of intellect and compassion.

“Simply put, Jay transformed the very fabric of who we are as an institution. … He helped to transform the prints, drawings and photography [department] into one of the finest and most respected works on paper collections in the country,” she said.

Mr. Fisher was a key component of an “international blockbuster” show, “Matisse and Modern Masters from The Cone Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art,” a traveling exhibition of works on paper presented in Japan between 1996 and 1997, Ms. Naeem said.

“The most important thing about Jay was his incredible kindness and compassion,” Ms. Naeem said. “Jay cared about people above all else.”

Born in Portland, Oregon, he was the son of Frederick Fisher and his wife, Suzanne Cunningham. He earned degrees at Occidental College and Williams College.

He came to Baltimore in 1975 as an assistant curator with a fascination for French 19th century prints and drawings.

Tom Freudenheim, the former BMA director, said: “I hired Jay and watched his career. He never waved his knowledge at you. He was able and scholarly in a nonacademic way.”

“He had an endless curiosity and had the ability to make people look at things in a new and fresh way,” said Katy Rothkopf, a BMA senior curator. “He was joyful about his work.”

Mr. Fisher opened many doors in the museum — to art scholars and museum curators — and he also gave lectures.

“He was a great teacher, mentor, and a great boss and the best friend,” Ms. Rothkopf said. “He loved sharing the collections here.”

Mr. Fisher went on to become senior curator of prints, drawings, and photographs. He organized the museum’s “Matisse: Painter as Sculptor” (2007), “Photographs, Drawings, and Collages by Frederick Sommer and Surrealist Art from the BMA’s Collection” (1999), and “The Prints of Édouard Manet: A Centenary Celebration” (1983).

He also played a role in the acquisition of the George A. Lucas Collection of 19th century French art, the Gallagher/Dalsheimer collection of American photography and more than 500 works by Matisse.

He was also the inaugural director of the Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies.

“He was absolutely dedicated to Matisse’s work. We’ve been able to tell more stories about Matisse thanks to the gifts of works on paper that came to the collection under Jay’s auspices,” Ms. Rothkopf said.

Mr. Fisher was also recalled for his work forging bonds with the Maryland Institute College of Art.

“Jay was a friend of MICA — he helped form the first BMA Friends of Photography group, which brought us in contact with important photographers, curators and major collectors,” said Jack Wilgus, a retired MICA faculty member and department chair. “He helped arrange a MICA internship program that gave students valuable work experience.”

Mr. Wilgus said Mr. Fisher brought important photographers to Baltimore for exhibitions and to lecture.

“Jay brought [the African American documentary photojournalist] Gordon Parks to Baltimore and even had him play the piano,” Mr. Wilgus said. “It was an amazing evening for me and my students. It was one of those nights you’ll never forget.”

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“Jay had insight, talent and commitment,” said Doreen Bolger, the museum’s former director who retired in 2015. “It really was true that the BMA was Jay’s whole life. He gave body and soul.”

Mr. Fisher’s nephew Joshua D. Lee said: “Jay was a proud gay man. He had a community and a museum to serve. His work was essential to him — it got him up in the morning.”

Mr. Fisher lived on Park Avenue in Reservoir Hill and enjoyed long-distance bicycling and kayaking throughout Maryland. He once crossed the country on his bike.

Friends said Mr. Fisher took his lunches at Gertrude’s restaurant and was a devotee of the museum’s sculpture gardens.

“He worked hard to have the museum shine,” Ms. Rothkopf said.

Survivors include a brother, Robert Fisher of Bothell, Washington; a sister, Judith Fisher Lee of Knoxville, Tennessee; and five nieces and nephews.

Plans for a memorial service are pending.