Katherine Sophie Dreier (1877-1952)

Katherine Sophie Dreier, a Brooklyn-born artist of the Dada movement in New York, was also known as a writer and collector. In 1917, while organizing an exhibition for the Society of Independent Artists, Dreier made acquaintances with the celebrated French avant-garde artist Marcel Duchamp. In 1920, Duchamp and fellow artist Man Ray met Dreier in her New York apartment where the three founded the Société Anonyme, Inc. to promote the American public's understanding of Modern Art. Dreier is credited today as being the driving force behind the society and her dedication kept the organization going even after they closed their headquarters in 1928. In 1939, when Dreier's attempts to create a museum in Connecticut for the society's art collection failed, she made arrangements to donate it to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. She subsequently donated her extensive personal art collection in 1941.