Jane Lang Davis and Richard E. Lang
Cultural Citizens: Living and Giving
Lang Residence, Medina, Washington
Jane Lang Davis and Richard E. Lang had a passionate commitment to the arts, to Seattle, and to its cultural community. They believed deeply that developing inclusive and vital cultural activities, nurturing artists, and supporting institutions resulted in long term civic health and growth. They spent their lives enjoying the arts and understood that those objects and experiences were there for them only because artists and institutions had been supported by patrons and philanthropists from all continents, across all walks of life, for many centuries. They knew well that those experiences not only entertain but have the power to inspire people of all ages to learn, participate, grow, and connect. Jane Lang Davis and Richard E. Lang's support for cultural institutions and arts groups was given generously in their lifetimes. Their ultimate vision, however, was to not only ensure the health of this community for all of us, but to inspire successive generations to carry the torch forward.
Richard Lang was a Northwest native, born in Seattle in 1906. After earning his undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford University in 1929, he took on the management and transformation of Lang & Co, a 77-year-old family grocery business started by his great grandfather, Max Lang, in California in 1852. Richard's father moved the business to Seattle in 1902, starting the National Grocery Company. Under Richard's leadership, initially during the Great Depression, the company expanded to include wholesale outlets statewide, and diversified to develop Seattle's first indoor shopping mall as well as beverage distribution. Richard ultimately focused Lang & Co on financial services and real estate, merging with Safeco Income Fund in 1981.
Jane was born in Philadelphia into an artistic family. Donald Ross MacGregor, her father, had studied with William Merritt Chase at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and established an important artisan firm in Philadelphia. One of his projects was a series of murals and decorative elements for the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building in Harrisburg, completed between 1902-1906. Jane lost her father when she was nine; however, his creativity had left an imprint on her. She took courses in art history, design and painting at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Pennsylvania and took private classes with painter Alice Trumbull Mason.
Alice Neel, Richard Lang, 1978
Jane Lang Davis and Andy Warhol in front of the artist’s Jane Lang, 1976
Richard met Jane in Honolulu in 1965 through mutual friends while attending the symphony. They married in Seattle in 1966 and built a new home in Medina in 1970 which had a beautiful view of Lake Washington. They had agreed that the view was all the “art” the new home needed, except for one large painting over the couch to add dimension to the modern feeling of the home. In November of that year, while on a trip to New York, they acquired Franz Kline‘s Painting No. 11, 1951. Before their marriage, neither Richard nor Jane had collected art, but this important painting sparked an immediate shared passion and set the tone for the extraordinary masterpieces they assembled in just twelve years, until Richard’s death in 1982.
While their art collecting efforts took place mostly in New York, the Langs were strong supporters of the Seattle cultural scene. Richard's commitment to Seattle, and his belief that strong arts organizations are essential to a thriving community were met with Jane's enthusiasm, drive, and extraordinary style and unerring eye. Together they contributed to the Seattle Opera, the Seattle Symphony, the Henry Gallery at the University of Washington, and to creating and supporting the Pacific Northwest Ballet, of which Jane was a founding member. They took enormous pleasure in attending galas, exhibitions, and events for the visual and performing arts, and were reliable season subscribers to all the performance companies, including the Seattle Rep and ACT theaters. Jane often chaired fund drives and gala committees, and Richard was known as a brilliant strategist in long-range planning, usually also as a funder.
The Seattle Art Museum was special to both the Langs. Richard joined the museum board in 1972 and served until his death in 1982. Jane joined the board in 1985 and in 2000 became a lifetime honorary trustee, serving as chair of the Honorary Trustees. Always true to her devotion to abstraction, Jane was an early and active member of the museum’s Contemporary Art Council, advocating for and supporting early initiatives in contemporary exhibitions and collections. She served on CAC and all its subsequent forms for four decades and was an active participant in all major fundraising campaigns.
The Friday Foundation was established to fulfill the passion and philanthropy of Jane Lang Davis and Richard E. Lang. The Directors of the Friday Foundation are Lyn Grinstein, Don Hussong, and George Steers.
The Friday Foundation is assisted by Laura Paulson, Advisor, and Pablo Schugurensky, Representative and Advisor.