Dominique de Menil (1908-1997) and her husband John (1904-1973) were French-American art collectors, patrons and philanthropists who were dedicated to the support of the civil rights movement in America.
In 1960 they launched The Image of the Black in Western Art, an ambitious research project which aimed to examine how people of African descent were perceived and represented in western art. The project has resulted in a series of books published by Harvard University Press(Opens in new window).
The Warburg Institute Library was generously gifted with part of the Menils' huge collection of books, which have been fully integrated into our collections.
The Photographic Collection holds part of the Menil Archive. View the Photographic Collection's index of the Menil Archive here