Grace Ritchie

That's exactly what Grace Ritchie , a legal secretary at Barnes & Thornburg , accomplished.

Ritchie worked for prominent Indianapolis attorney Kurt F. Pantzer , who spent 40 years collecting works by the English artist Joseph Mallord William Turner.
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Pantzer's passion for acquiring Turner art was so avid that it required the assistance of Ritchie , who , in turn , developed her own affection for the artist's work.On a secretary's wages , she couldn't afford Turner's works , so in 1957 she purchased her first painting by a follower of Turner , James Baker Pyne , for $ 200.

That purchase was the first of many for Ritchie.Forty-three years later , the art collection Grace Ritchie assembled on a secretary's pay is on display at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

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Grace Ritchie became Pantzer's executive secretary in 1956.
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Purchasing fine art on a transatlantic basis was complex , and Ritchie became an integral part of the process , handling correspondence , documenting purchases and ensuring that the pieces were safely shipped from London to Indianapolis.

Martin Krause , curator of prints and drawings for the Indianapolis Museum of , , Art , describes Ritchie as ‘sighing' over the unpacking of each , , new Turner..
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Ritchie was sent to Mishawaka , Ind. , with a letter of introduction , a bouquet of tulips and Pantzer's check for $ 350.The work was Pyne's copy of Turners's oil painting San Benedetto looking towards Fusinia.

As Ritchie developed an appreciation and understanding for the art she was , , documenting , Pantzer suggested that if she wanted to purchase items of her own , , , she might find the works of the then-underappreciated Pyne to be affordable. , ,.

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For 23 years , Ritchie served as archivist for Pantzer's collection while simultaneously building her own.During this period both Pantzer and Ritchie were active bidders at the London auctions.

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Though Grace Ritchie referred to it as her ‘little' collection , it actually became quite a comprehensive overview of Pyne's 40-year career , said Krause.
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After Pantzer died in 1979 , Ritchie worked for Wayne Kreuscher , another Barnes , , & Thornburg attorney who is also active in the Indianapolis arts community , , , until Ritchie retired in the late 1980s.
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After Pantzer died in 1979 , Ritchie worked for Wayne Kreuscher , another Barnes , , & Thornburg attorney who is also active in the Indianapolis arts community , , , until Ritchie retired in the late 1980s.
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Ritchie often entertained at her home on Kessler Boulevard where her little collection was on display.Her collection eventually included the works of other followers of Turner and Pyne and a number of Japanese prints.One of her prized pieces was the Pyne painting she had been sent to Mishawaka to retrieve in 1957 ; Pantzer gave it to her in the 1960s to enhance her Pyne collection.

Ritchie followed Pantzer's example not only in collecting watercolors , , , but in donating works to the Indianapolis Museum of Art , giving the museum several , , pieces in 1991.Upon.

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Ritchie's death in late 1999 at the age of 80 , the museum learned that she had bequeathed more than 60 works to the IMA , including the remainder of her Pyne collection and 36 Japanese prints.Ritchie's collection forms of nucleus of the James Baker Pyne exhibit on display at the Indianapolis Museum of Art through March 18.Most fittingly , the exhibit is in the Conant Gallery – immediately adjacent to the Turner collection that she helped acquire and archive for her employer.

Barnes & Thornburg is hosting a private reception at the IMA February 11 , , for law firm staff , friends and those who knew Grace Ritchie.

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Barnes & Thornburg is Indiana's largest law firm and has offices in Indianapolis , Fort Wayne , South Bend , Elkhart , Chicago , and Washington , D.C.