1917 ~ 2002
Founding Director
Utah Museum of Fine Arts <! >
Most of us aspire to make our mark on the world before we leave it, but few of us do. Frank Sanguinetti did. In fact, all of us who cared about art during his 34 years as director of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts felt his influence. A great supporter of the arts, he could be spotted at the ballet, the opera or the symphony, believing art, regardless of the form it took, was essential to living the good life. But his passion, his great love, were the visual arts. And in many ways, this passion shaped his life and is his greatest legacy.
Sanguinetti received his Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Santa Clara in 1939. From 1944 to 1946 he served in the Office of Strategic Services in Calcutta, India, where he was aide-de-Camp for Brigadier-General Frank Hackett. Following his tour of duty he returned to the family business, a chain of small department stores, acting as president of Sanguinetti Inc. between 1948 and 1959, and vice-president of Arizona Savings & Loan in Phoenix between 1950-1955. In 1960 his love of art history pulled him away from business and back for graduate studies in art history at the University of Tucson, where he also taught art history.
Frank Sanguinetti's first appointment as a museum director was at the Tucson Museum in 1962. Throughout his time there, however, he dreamed of leading a university art museum. This dream was fulfilled in 1967 when he arrived at the University of Utah. At that time, the art collection was housed on the top floor of the John R. Park Building and included only two important paintings, a small Egyptian collection, some tapestries, and a handful of other paintings. Sanguinetti planned to stay for a few years, organize the collection and manage acquisitions. But that changed. The prospect of creating a significant art collection, and establishing it at the heart of Utah's cultural life proved to be an immensely seductive proposition and one that seized his interest and his heart.
Frank's great love was art, but his great talent was with people and it was eventually the affective relationships he established as he created the Utah Museum of Fine Arts that over time made it impossible for him to leave. Within days of arriving in Utah he began to make friends. These were friends who helped him succeed, shared his vision, and followed his lead. He eventually developed a core group of devoted volunteers, philanthropists, and community leaders who helped shape the UMFA, and brought it over the next three decades to a position of prominence.
Savvy in the ways university museums fit into academia, Frank pushed to anchor the museum in the national context and ushered it to national accreditation in 1972, the first university art museum to be so recognized from the west. Frank was proud of the fact that the museum served the city, state and region as well as the university-- an expanded role he believed was rare among museums situated on college campuses. Recognized by many for his leadership and vision, he received both the Governor's Award in the Arts and the Cathedral of the Madeleine Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts and Humanities.
In the early 1990s, former University of Utah president Arthur Smith began discussions with Frank about a new building for the museum. At first it seemed a new wing added to the existing structure would suffice and Frank raised $6 million dollars for the project. But it quickly became apparent that a new wing would be inadequate to the needs of the museum and its visitors. In 1996, John and Marcia Price gave $7 million for a new museum, the largest single gift ever given to a cultural organization in the state's history. This gift and the gifts of many other generous donors resulted in the construction of a new $18,000,000 home for the museum, which Frank saw through to completion, and which became the physical embodiment of his passion and values.
Frank Sanguinetti understood the redemptive power of art on the human spirit and the way it created common ground for diverse individuals. For him, it was a powerful tool of community building. In 1993 he said, "In serving the entire public, the museum must become a place for learning and discovery, for reflection and contemplation. It serves people by stimulating the imagination and elevating the human spirit, by deepening insights into human life. Art exists in the context of life; it is a means of perceiving life."
E. Frank Sanguinetti passed away on Sunday, February 3, 2002. He is survived by his sister, Rosemarie Gwynn of Yuma, AZ; his brother, Norman Sanguinetti of Novato, California; and his children, Leslie Sanguinetti of San Diego, CA and Gregory Sanguinetti of Portland, OR.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the E. Frank Sanguinetti Endowed Directorship at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 410 Campus Center Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0350.
A public memorial service will be held at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Marcia and John Price Museum Building, University of Utah on Saturday, April 6th at 1:00 p.m.