Then & Now

Art on Campus

Stanford University Archives
Leland Stanford Jr. Museum, early 20th century
Linda A. Cicero
Anderson Collection, 2014

Leland Stanford Jr. was a keen collector of objects of art. In 1891, a museum was founded in his name to make his collection available to students and the public. Today, the museum (since 1999 known as Cantor Arts Center) houses 45,000 objects, including Stanford family items. Left: Children view paintings at the Leland Stanford Jr. Museum. Right: Attendees of the Anderson Collection press opening view Nancy Graves’s sculpture “Telestich.” Frank Stella’s “Zeltweg” hangs on the wall in the background. The Anderson Collection, one of the world’s most outstanding assemblies of modern and contemporary American art, opened in 2014 as part of Stanford’s new arts district.