Boston’s MFA is getting a 1927 Mondrian–“Composition With Blue, Yellow and Red”–courtesy of Arne Glimcher. Actually the painting comes from the estate of Sydney Janis, as Carol Vogel tells us, and was donate by the heir. Glimcher, however, was the connector:

“We had two drawings but no painting,” said Malcolm Rogers, director of the Museum of Fine Arts. “We have a strong interest in building our classic 20th-century collection. It’s not an area that Bostonians ever collected and if they didn’t collect it, we don’t have it.”

Arne Glimcher, chairman of PaceWildenstein, was selling several Mondrians on behalf of the Janis family and negotiated the gift. “Arne Glimcher was the magician here,” Mr. Rogers said. “He has strong roots in Boston and wants to help us develop the collection.”

Inside Art: An Actor’s Gift of Art (New York Times)