Virginia Wright

Virginia "Jinny" Wright (January 1, 1929 – February 18, 2020), also known as Virginia Bloedel Wright, was an American art collector and philanthropist. She was considered one of the top art collectors in America for having created the largest collection of modern and contemporary art of the Pacific Northwest with her husband Bagley Wright and was credited for having played a pivotal role in the cultural development of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

Biography Wright was born in Seattle on January 1, 1929, to timber baron Prentice Bloedel, son of Julius Bloedel, who co-founded MacMillan Bloedel, and Virginia Merrill Bloedel. She grew up in Vancouver, graduated from the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and received her BA from Barnard College, where she studied under noted art historians Meyer Schapiro and Julius S. Held, who inspired her to pursue a career in the appreciation and collection of modern art. Wright called Schapiro's influence on her art collection career "like the Conversion of St. Paul." She was a board member from 1960 to 1972, before rejoining in 1982 and serving as its president from 1986 to 1992.

Philanthropy Wright donated more than 200 works to SAM over her lifetime, including works by Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella, Helen Frankenthaler, among others.

Personal life Wright died on February 18, 2020, at age 91.