Frederick R. Mayer, an oilman and prominent art collector whose $11 million endowment to the Denver Art Museum put its New World Department on the map, died Wednesday of complications from heart surgery, museum officials said Thursday. He was 79.
Mayer founded the Exeter Drilling Co. and had a major role in developing the oil- and-gas industry in Colorado.
Denver’s art museum drew heavily for exhibitions from the private collection of Mexican colonial art owned by Mayer and his wife, Jan.
Lewis Sharp, director of the DAM, said in a statement that Mayer “played an integral role in the success of this institution for more than three decades.”
Mayer was chairman of the board of trustees for nearly 10 years in three decades.
“He was a true friend to the arts, and we will strive to pay tribute to his memory by further enhancing the cultural life of our city and beyond,” Sharp said.
In 1993, the New World Spanish Colonial and Pre-Columbian Galleries at the art museum were reinstalled and named in honor of Jan and Frederick Mayer, who contributed significantly to the holdings.
In 1994, the Mayers began giving their collection of Costa Rican art to the museum. In 2003, the Mayers pledged $11 million, the second-largest gift in the history of the DAM.
Frederick Mayer also held leadership positions at the Yale University Art Gallery, the Phillips Exeter Academy and many other organizations across the country, according to Sharp’s statement.
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-954-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
