Alfred Taubman remarks on the dedication of the Taubman Wing of European Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts "To the Nines" gala

  Thank you, Gene . . . and thank you all for coming this evening.

I must tell you that I’m relieved to see such a wonderful turn out.

Having read the last few issues of Time magazine, I wasn’t sure there were this many people still living in Detroit - - or that we would have light, heat and running water here in the museum!

But as we all know, the DIA is a jewel within a city that has a lot to be proud of.  My affiliation with the DIA is one of the proudest achievements of my life. So tonight’s dedication of the Taubman Wing is very special for me.

In fact, as I was listening to Gene’s kind introduction, I thought back to the earliest, most difficult days of my career here in Detroit - - when money was almost as hard to come by as it is today.

As the Taubman Company was just getting started, I can’t tell you how many I times I heard bankers, retailers and even friends say, “Taubman, it looks like you’re trying to bring this project in on a wing and a prayer!”

Well, over the last half century, I’ve always had plenty of prayers . . . and now, I have a wing!

Like the other galleries of our wonderful museum, the European Wing was designed to present works in an artistic as well as historic context.  When we were having cocktails downstairs earlier, I hope you had a chance to consider the walls which each represents the period of art that lies behind it. You start at the French Gothic or Medieval which is adjacent to the Gothic Chapel, and move to the Italian and then the German Renaissance.  These walls culminate with Detroit’s own symbolic representation of the Industrial age.

This entire institution offers visitors the experience of understanding the influence of historic events on artistic movements, and in its encyclopedic collection, it is a unique educational tool for visitors of all ages.

I remain a proud and loyal citizen of our fine city, and see many faces here tonight that have done so much to support Detroit.  It is truly heartwarming.

I’m blessed to have many members of my family with me tonight. They are my proudest achievement and I’m delighted to report that they’ll all be doing their holiday shopping at Taubman shopping centers!  I hope you will too!

In addition to my family, there are many other people to thank this evening.

This museum and our community are very fortunate to have the leadership of Graham Beal. Under his direction, the DIA has experienced a rebirth and charted a promising course for future success.

All this progress would not have been possible without the energy and vision of Nettie Seabrooks, along with the passionate support of  Joe Hudson, Gene Gargaro and Dick Manoogian – who could not join us tonight due to a death in his family.

I must also single out the contributions of my good friend architect Michael Graves, who I wish could be with us tonight.  His unique talents made it possible for us to realize our ambitious dreams for a more welcoming, functional and sustainable DIA.

And of course all of you - - DIA staff, directors, volunteers, contributors and friends - - deserve the sincere thanks of this and future generations of Detroiters and all visitors who, thanks to your hard work, will enjoy the wonders of this world-class museum.

Like so many of you in this room tonight, my heart and soul are in this amazing, much improved, building. Now, I have the honor of having my name on its walls as well. But the DIA’s future will be determined by the thousands of acts of support you contribute every day.

That’s what makes this institution so special, and I thank you again for your kind recognition.

Please enjoy the rest of the evening.