John Ashbery's Private Art Collection Unveiled at the Morgan

Between May 1 and October 25, 2026, the Morgan Library & Museum will host an exhibition titled 'Friends Who Came to See Me: Drawings from John Ashbery’s Collection.' This display features twenty-eight artworks on paper, donated in 2019 by David K. Kermani, who is Ashbery's husband. Throughout his impressive thirty-year journey as a poet and art critic, Ashbery collected works from his artist friends, including Joe Brainard, Jane Freilicher, Jean Hélion, Fairfield Porter, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Larry Rivers. A number of these pieces were gifts from the artists themselves, showcasing Ashbery's deep bond with the world of visual art.