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AT TWENTY-FIVE: DISTINGUISHING THE BIGGS MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART As we look forward to the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Biggs Museum of American Art, our focus is one dedicated to the objects, stories, and supporters who have made the institution not only notable—thanks to founder Sewell C. Biggs (fig. 1) —but unique among the nation’s art museums. Through the vision and generosity of Mr. Biggs, the museum opened in 1993 on the Delaware state capital’s impressive Legislative Mall (fig. 2) and has, in the years since his passing in 2003, continued to grow through public sponsorship, private philanthropy, careful choices, and significant good fortune. This anniversary celebration presents the perfect opportunity to reflect on that sustained growth. Fig. 1. Sewell C. Biggs, Peter Egeli, 1979. Oil on canvas. Bequest of Sewell C. Biggs 2004.469 Fig. 2. Biggs Museum of American Art, seen with the first permanent sculptural installation, Aloft, by Erica Loustau, professor at West Chester University. Aloft is the capstone of the museum’s 2011−14 renovation. — 26 —