The Tucson Museum of Art began to collect modern art in the early 1970s, invigorated with a generous donation of ninety-two objects from the Lawrence J. Heller collection of European and American modernists, including works by such notable artists as Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove, Max Weber, William Baziotes, Jacques Lipchitz, and Marino Marini. The contemporary collection was originally formed by regular acquisitions from Arizona Biennials and by generous donations from local collectors. Through acquisition endowments and the fund raising efforts of the Contemporary Art Society, the contemporary collection has expanded in scope to encompass art by internationally renowned artists including John Chamberlain, William Wiley, Jasper Johns, Olivier Mosset, Jane Hammond, Chuck Close, and Vernon Fisher.
