The dispersal of the John Quinn collection

An article originally published in 1979 is presented. It details the dispersal by private sales and public auctions of the legendary collection of John Quinn (1870-1924), a New York attorney and patron of contemporary arts and letters. At his death, Quinn left a collection of more than 2,500 paintings, prints, drawings, and sculpture. His was the most important art collection assembled in the U.S. before 1930. The dispersal of the collection enabled other pioneering American collectors to build and enlarge their own modern art collections, and many of these "second generation" collections formed the nucleii of museum collections. Unwelcome consequences of the dismantling of Quinn's collection are considered.