Remembering Marianne Shapero Schwartz

We are sad to report that Marianne Shapero Schwartz, the mother of DLECTRICITY chairman, Marc Schwartz, and former donor to DLECTRICITY, has passed away.

Marianne was a Detroit civic and Jewish community presence for more than half a century. She presided over all she did with unmatched elegance and grace. She will be greatly missed.

Marianne was a native Detroiter. Born Marianne Shapero, she attended Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods. She went on to attend Wellesley College and Barnard College, where she was an art history major. She married Alan in 1950. Marianne was a dedicated volunteer, philanthropist, and leader in numerous civic, cultural, and nonprofit organizations, working together in some endeavors with Alan and separately in others. Marianne was especially involved with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Great Lakes Chamber Music Society. No doubt inspired by her education and love of art, Marianne’s greatest involvement and most lasting legacy was at the Detroit Institute of Arts, where she took on nearly every important volunteer role in a career spanning more than 65 years. She was active in all levels of museum affairs, developing the Docent Committee, serving as chair of the critical Collections Committee, serving on the DIA Board of Directors beginning in 1970 and as secretary and a member of the DIA’s Executive Committee for decades.

Marianne and Alan were recognized by the DIA with its Lifetime Service Award in 1977. A highlight of their commitment to the DIA was their gift to establish the Schwartz Galleries of Prints and Drawings in 1980.

Together, Marianne and Alan amassed one of the world’s great private collections of works on paper, from Rembrandt to Albrecht Dürer to Picasso, with a concentration in American prints. In a 2010 interview with the Detroit Free Press, Alan explained that it all started because of Marianne. The article stated that their collection is a connoisseur’s dream and the result of Marianne’s impeccable eye and collecting philosophy.

It is suggested that those who wish to further honor the memory of Marianne Shapero Schwartz may do so by making a contribution to:

Detroit Institute Of Arts
5200 Woodward
Detroit, MI 48202
313-833-6760

or
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
3711 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48201-2444
313-576-5114

or
A Charity of Your Choice