Maxim Karolik (November 21, 1893 – December 20, 1963), born in what is now Ukraine, he became a featured tenor for the

Imperial Russian Grand Opera Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...

(later known as the Petrograd Grand Opera). He toured in Europe as a young man. He left Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution and moved to the United States to continue study of music. There he met and married Martha Catharine Codman, from one of Boston, Massachusetts's wealthiest families. He became a noted collector of early American art, and the couple were influential in promoting eighteenth and nineteenth American art and antiques. In 1939 and 1947 they made valuable donations of their collections to the

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

, where a new wing was built and named for them.

Early life

Maxim Karolik was born on November 21, 1893 in Akkerman, Ukraine. He became a professional opera singer, and made his debut as a tenor at the old Imperial Russian Grand Opera, later known as the Petrograd Opera. He toured in Europe, including to Italy, England, and other countries, and made his debut in New York City in 1924. Because of the Bolshevik Revolution, he left Russia during the unrest. He moved to the United States to continue his study of music. In 1927 in Washington, DC Karolik met Martha Catharine Codman, a wealthy socialite who was 30 years older than he. With homes in the capital and Newport, Rhode Island, she was said to be worth $25 million to $40 million. She was a daughter of J. Amory Codman and his wife Martha Pickman Rogers Codman of Boston. Karolik and Codman married on February 2, 1928 in the

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Marriage and collecting career

Over the following decades, Karolik and his wife Martha became noted collectors of eighteenth and nineteenth century American

antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

s, furnishings, and art. The furniture was mostly made in Rhode Island, in the period 1720-1820. They were guided in their purchases by specialists at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The Karoliks donated some 300 pieces of their collection to the museum in 1939, during the late years of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. It was then valued at $400,000, and had a pre-Depression value of $1,000,000. Mrs.Karolik had inherited many of the pieces of silver, engravings, and other artifacts from her colonial ancestors. The collection was so large that the museum built a new wing to house it, naming it the Karolik wing. Karolik and his wife are considered largely responsible for spurring mid-20th century interest in

19th-century American art Visual art of the United States or American art is visual art made in the United States or by U.S. artists. Before colonization there were many flourishing traditions of Native American art, and where the Spanish colonized Spanish Colonial arch ...

of the period 1815-1865, what was once called the "barren period". In January 1947 the couple donated some 225 paintings from this period, which they had collected over a period of two decades, to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Their collection featured such notable artists as Washington Allston, Albert Bierstadt, Chester Harding,

Martin Johnson Heade Martin Johnson Heade (August 11, 1819 – September 4, 1904) was an American painter known for his salt marsh landscapes, seascapes, and depictions of tropical birds (such as hummingbirds), as well as lotus blossoms and other still lifes. His pai ...

, George Inness, Eastman Johnson, Fitz Henry Lane, Rembrandt Peale, and Thomas Sully. Also among their purchases was the notable American textile, the

Pictorial Quilt 1898 Harriet Powers (October 29, 1837 – January 1, 1910) was an American folk artist and quilter. Born into slavery in rural northeast Georgia, she married young and had a large family. After the American Civil War and emancipation, she and her hus ...

created by Harriet Powers (MFA accession no. 64.619), a Georgia woman who was born into slavery. It is one of two surviving quilts by Powers, considered a top Southern artist of the nineteenth century. The Karoliks donated the quilt to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The other quilt is held and displayed by the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...

in Washington, DC.

Personal life

While regularly spending time in Washington and Boston, the Karoliks lived full-time in Newport, Rhode Island. They also traveled extensively. Martha Codman Karolik died in 1948. Afterward Karolik gave a third large donation of collected art works to the Museum of Fine Arts. He also returned to music. Karolik recorded ''Russian Art Songs'' (1958), thirty songs collected in a three-album set from Unicorn Records in Boston. A 48-page book was included with the album set. It had an introductory essay by Nicholas Slonimsky titled "Russian Music in Art Songs." In 1963 Karolik traveled from Newport to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

for a meeting to arrange lectures and other events related to his art philanthropy. He died on December 20, 1963 at

Trafalgar Hospital Trafalgar Hospital was a 145-bed private nonprofit institution at 161 East 90th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. The building previously housed three other hospitals, including the Pan American Hospital Pan American Hospital, now defunct, ...

in Manhattan.

Early life

Marriage and collecting career

Personal life

References

Further reading