The Art Newspaper

Barnes Foundation’s general counsel Brett Miller found dead

Before joining the Barnes, he studied art history and worked at New York’s MoMA and the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach

By Helen Stoilas. Web only
Published online: 16 April 2012

The Barnes Foundation's new home in Philadelphia

Just weeks before the opening of the Barnes Foundation’s new museum in downtown Philadelphia, the institution’s general counsel Brett Miller has died. His body was found this weekend at his home, a spokesman for the museum has confirmed.

“The Board of Trustees and the staff of the Barnes Foundation are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague and friend Brett Miller,” says Derek Gillman, the director of the foundation in a statement to The Art Newspaper. “Brett was a hugely valued member of our executive team, and for three years has worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the Foundation. He will be greatly missed. We offer heartfelt condolences to his family.”

Miller was hired as general counsel in November 2009. He had a strong background in museums and art history. Before receiving a law degree in 1995 from the University of Virginia, Miller studied art history at a graduate level at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts and at Columbia University, and was the associate curator of collections of the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach, Florida. He also served as a post-graduate law clerk in the general counsel’s office of the Museum of Modern Art in 1995. At the time of his appointment, Gillman said: “I can think of few other attorneys who combine his expertise in a broad range of museum legal issues, particularly in the intellectual property area, with a profound knowledge of art history and museum practice.”