Robert James Montague Downer is a British patron of the arts and collector based in New York City
CAUSES
Robert sits on the Acquisitions Committee of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, and supports the Young Collectors Council's mission of acquiring emerging, contemporary art for the permanent collection.
In addition, Robert is a founding patron, and board advisor to contemporary museums of design including:
The Design Museum | The world's leading museum for contemporary design & architecture. Established in 1989 by Sir Terence Conran and Stephen Bayley. The new Design Museum opened in November 2016 on the site of the former Royal Commonwealth Institute in Kensington, London.
The V&A Museum of Design in Dundee | The first Victoria & Albert museum to be built outside of London, and also the first museum of design to be built in the UK outside of London. The V&A Museum of Design in Dundee opened in Scotland in September 2018 designed by Kengo Kuma.
CAREER
Uber Technologies
Ernst & Young
UBS Investment Bank
COLLECTING
Robert is a passionate collector of art, design, and curiosities from around the world. His collection spans contemporary works by artists including Andy Warhol, and Damien Hirst, ancient and classical objects from Europe, Asia, and Africa, important and iconic product design, furniture, and automobiles.
Explore a selection of 99 items from the collection of Robert Downer below:
The Guggenheim Museum | New York
The Design Museum | London
V&A Museum of Design | Dundee