> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://hyperallergic.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Art Collectors and Museum Patrons Among Biggest Donors to Trump’s Inauguration
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/trump-donors-art-patrons/
- Published: 2017-04-20T14:36:42.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:41:17.000Z
- Description: A document listing all the contributions to Donald Trump's $106.7 million inauguration includes the names of quite a few art world power players.
- Author: Benjamin Sutton
- Tags: News, Donald Trump, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 07:23 (2016, 2017, part 2)

![(illustration by the author for Hyperallergic)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2017/04/god-trump-money-lead.jpg)

(illustration by the author for Hyperallergic)

Though the art world has maintained a rather adversarial stance toward the 45th US President, collectors and museum board members figure prominently among those who helped Donald Trump raise $106.7 million for his [poorly attended inauguration](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/24/fact-check-inauguration-crowd-size/96984496/?ref=hyperallergic.com). According to a [510-page report](http://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/286/201704180300150286/201704180300150286.pdf?ref=hyperallergic.com) of donations to Trump’s inaugural committee [released on Tuesday](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2017/04/19/20827/donald-trump-inauguration-bankrolled-corporate-giants?ref=hyperallergic.com) by the Federal Elections Committee, billionaire art collector and Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) board member [Steven A. Cohen](https://hyperallergic.com/76025/one-of-worlds-biggest-art-collectors-charged-with-insider-trading/) as well as Henry Kravis — whose wife, [Marie-Josée Kravis](https://www.moma.org/about/trustees?ref=hyperallergic.com), is the president of MoMA — both gave $1 million. Unlike campaign contributions, which are capped, there is no limit to how much can be given to a candidate’s inaugural committee.

The largest individual contribution came from Vegas casino magnate and major [GOP supporter](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/06/30/the-brass-ring?ref=hyperallergic.com) Sheldon Adelson — who’s also a [big donor](http://www.yadvashem.org/museum/holocaust-history-museum/donors/adelson?ref=hyperallergic.com) to Yad Vashem in Israel, funding the creation of the Museum of Holocaust Art there; he gave $5 million to Trump’s inauguration. Another Vegas mogul, Frank Fertitta — who once [bought a fake Mark Rothko](http://theartnewspaper.com/news/former-knoedler-director-settles-lawsuit-with-casino-billionaire-over-fake-rothko/?ref=hyperallergic.com) painting from the Knoedler Gallery — gave $207,000\. Hedge fund manager John Paulson, who’s a member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s [Chairman’s Circle](http://www.businessinsider.com/paulson-gives-100-million-to-central-park-conservancy-2012-10?ref=hyperallergic.com) and once [donated $100 million](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/24/nyregion/billionaire-donates-100-million-to-central-park.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) to the Central Park Conservancy, contributed $250,000 to Trump’s inauguration. The former Iranian ambassador to the US, Hushang Ansary, and his wife, Sashla — who, as *The* *Art Newspaper* [pointed out](http://theartnewspaper.com/news/news/art-collector-steven-cohen-gave-1m-to-trump-inauguration/?ref=hyperallergic.com), helped fund the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s [department of Islamic art](http://islamicart.mfah.org/friends-arts-islamic-world/founders/?ref=hyperallergic.com) — donated a total of $2 million.

Among the corporate donors are several companies that have ties to art in one form or another. Bank of America, which offers grants for [art conservation projects](http://about.bankofamerica.com/en-us/global-impact/art-conservation-project.html?ref=hyperallergic.com#fbid=hGe6KOW6%5FsZ) and free admission via its [Museums on Us](http://about.bankofamerica.com/en-us/global-impact/arts-and-culture/partners.html?ref=hyperallergic.com#fbid=hGe6KOW6%5FsZ) program, kicked in $1 million. Las Vegas’s Wynn Resorts, whose CEO, [Steve Wynn](https://lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jul/09/seven-wynns-notable-art-purchases/?ref=hyperallergic.com), is a major art collector, contributed $729,217\. Walmart, whose founders, the Waltons, created the [Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art](https://hyperallergic.com/tag/crystal-bridges-museum-of-american-art/) in Arkansas, gave $150,000\. Internet giant Google, whose arts initiatives include the [Google Cultural Institute](https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/?hl=en&ref=hyperallergic.com), gave a total of $285,000\. Online retailer Amazon, which has made several forays into the [online marketplace for art](https://hyperallergic.com/71545/watch-out-art-world-amazon-is-about-to-start-selling-art/), with mixed results, contributed $57,746.13\. Candy company Mars Inc., which once [gave $5 million to the Smithsonian Institution](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/7/31/exploring-planet-mars-where-will-that-60-billion-candy-fortu.html?ref=hyperallergic.com), was considerably less generous to Trump: it gave $1,827.46 toward his inauguration.

Trump’s $106.7 million in donations set a new record, [doubling](http://www.npr.org/2017/04/19/524727575/we-now-know-trumps-inauguration-donors-where-the-money-went-is-another-story?ref=hyperallergic.com) the roughly $53 million that Obama collected for his inauguration in 2009, which at the time was the most ever raised by an inaugural committee.