As Bob Allen nears retirement, he’s been thinking a lot about his work as an artist and as the director of Quinn Library at Lincoln Center, where he has worked for over 35 years.
“The exchanges I’ve had with our student workers have been really joyful for me,” he said. “It’s been the best part of the job.”
Allen recently made a gift that will support students long after he retires: a remarkable bequest of at least $800,000 that will establish an endowed scholarship fund for junior and senior student workers in Quinn. He’s also earmarked a dozen other gifts; the MSU Broad Art Museum at his alma mater and a scholarship fund honoring his late college friend, J. David Johnson, are among them.
“Bob is leaving his entire 403B to charity, which is truly astounding,” said Justine Franklin, executive director of development and major gifts, who worked with him on the bequest. “He is truly a man for others whose bequest will impact Fordham students for generations to come.”
The timing of his generous gift coincides with an exhibition of his striking paintings—his other lifelong pursuit—in Lowenstein’s Ildiko Butler Gallery. Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock, head of the visual arts program, first approached Allen about showcasing his work last year. Allen then chose two dozen of his most cherished pieces for the exhibit, which runs through Aug. 23. It’s just a sliver of his output—he estimates he’s produced 600 paintings over the last 50 years.
“This is my work. This is my legacy,” he said, referring to both his art and the scholarship he will create to support students.
The Artist in Quinn
Allen spends his days managing the operations of Quinn Library. He oversees the reference librarians who help with student and faculty research, as well as the student workers.
On evenings and weekends, he pours his energy into his art. “I just see something that kind of triggers something in my brain and just start doodling and it takes over and I forget about the rest of the world,” he said. He jokes that he’s lost many “hours of consciousness” while painting. Beyond a few art classes, mainly with the Art Students League of New York, and a trip with other painters to Florence, he is self-taught.
The show’s title, “Diversity,” evokes Allen’s disparate influences, from Mark Rothko’s early paintings to the contemporary Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum. It also speaks to his range in painting styles, which move from the surreal to the carnivalesque to the slightly macabre.
One straightforward portrait stands out. In it, his late colleague, Nathan Bahny sits beside a painting of Lee Marvin, “an old-time Hollywood rapscallion actor,” said Allen. As a film buff, Bahny appreciated the juxtaposition, he said. Though Allen had planned to present the portrait to Bahny personally, he found comfort in learning that his friend already had a version of the image—a large-scale photograph that occupied a place of honor in his living room.
Giving the Gift of College to Students
Allen said the title of the show also refers to the diversity of the students he’s worked with over the years.
“I’ve had this wonderful opportunity to meet so many students from different backgrounds,” he said. Seeing students whose families struggled financially inspired his scholarship bequest. “Something like this could help,” he said.
“I owe a lot to Fordham,” he said, reflecting on his years of employment. “And since I don’t have heirs to pass along what little chunk of change I’ve collected in my life, where else should it go?”
