Two bequests fuel major acquisitions at The Mint Museum

By Jonathan Stuhlman

With every object in a museum there is a story, not just of the artist who created it, but also of how it became part of the museum’s collection. At the Mint, many of our most treasured works enter the collection through the generosity of donors who believe in the power of art to connect, inspire, and endure. Two recent bequests have continued that legacy, enabling the museum to acquire remarkable works that broaden our understanding of American art.

Katherine “Kat” Belk-Cook

The first of these generous bequests came from Katherine Belk-Cook, known to many simply as Kat. A longtime advocate for diversifying the museum’s holdings, Kat played a pivotal role in expanding our collection to better reflect the richness and diversity of American art. Her support helped bring in key works by artists such as Stanton Macdonald-Wright (Trumpet Flowers), Kay Sage (Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool), Beauford Delaney (an untitled abstraction), and, more recently, Kehinde Wiley (Philip the Fair).

In 2024, the museum used funds from Kat’s bequest to acquire two early paintings by pioneering abstract artist Ida Kohlmeyer. Then, in spring 2025, additional funds were used to acquire four more significant works: two works on paper and two important paintings.

The works on paper are by Charlotte native Charles Alston, a cousin by marriage to Romare Bearden. While the museum holds over 60 works by Bearden, these are the first by Alston to enter the collection. Both highlight a central theme of Alston’s work: family. One is a delicate line drawing of a family of five from the 1950s; the other, a striking pastel from the World War II era that depicts Alston in uniform beside his soon-to-be wife in a turbulent landscape.

One of the newly acquired paintings is also by Alston — a nocturnal cityscape of Harlem that illustrates his shift toward abstraction in the late 1940s. The second painting is a luminous still life of mountain laurels by Charles Ethan Porter, an accomplished painter and one of the first Black artists to attend the National Academy of Design. These acquisitions mark the first works by both artists to enter the Mint’s collection. Notably, the Porter piece is now the earliest painting by a Black artist in our holdings.

Constance “Connie” Bellios

The second transformative bequest came from Constance “Connie” Bellios, a quiet yet devoted supporter of the museum and a longtime Contributor Member. Upon her passing, she left her entire estate to the Mint. To honor her significant gift, the guest services desk at Mint Museum Randolph will be named in her memory.

In addition, the museum acquired two works to celebrate her generosity and that of her brother, John G. Bellios II, PhD, a professor of American history at UNC Chapel Hill who specialized in the Beat Generation.

 

The first, Parts of the Body, Hair and Eye (1963) by Larry Rivers, reflects the intellectual and artistic spirit of the Beat era. Rivers, a major figure in postwar American art, used the visual language of Pop Art to deconstruct the human form, mirroring the themes explored by Beat writers and poets.

To honor the Bellios family’s Greek heritage, the museum also acquired The Mirror at Midnight II (1942) by William Baziotes, whose parents, like Connie’s, were Greek immigrants. Baziotes, a key figure among the abstract expressionists, created this work early in his career as he was exploring the influence of Surrealism and the beginnings of his signature abstract style. The painting was exhibited in two landmark shows at Peggy Guggenheim’s short-lived, but influential, New York gallery Art of This Century.

All of these new acquisitions, along with several exciting longterm loans, including one of Georgia O’Keeffe’s earliest flower paintings, recently acquired by the Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen, Ph.D., Foundation — are currently on view in the American and Modern and Contemporary galleries at Mint Museum Uptown.

Jonathan Stuhlman, PhD, is senior curator of American Art at The Mint Museum.

Want to support the Mint?

The Dwelle-McBryde Society is The Mint Museum’s planned giving program named in honor of the contributions of Mary Myers Dwelle and Neill McBryde. Planned gifts are an effective, thoughtful way to support the museum while also ensuring its bright future. Planned gifts include bequests, charitable trusts (remainder and lead), gifts of retirement plan assets, gifts of art, and more. All individuals who document a planned gift will be welcomed as members of the Dwelle-McBryde Society.

If you are interested in learning more about the Dwelle-McBryde Society, please contact Kitty Hall at kitty.hall@mintmuseum.org or 704.337.2034.