Something quietly seismic is happening at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. No, it’s not another painting uncovered behind plaster or a secret sketchbook found in the attic—it’s a check. A $175,000 check, to be exact, from collector and longtime benefactor Rick Sharp, to transform the second-floor gallery in the 1815 Main House, the one where Thomas Cole himself once picked up a paintbrush (and, apparently, a guitar).
The announcement dropped just as the site celebrates the 200th anniversary of Cole’s first trip to Catskill—a pilgrimage that effectively launched American landscape painting. Sharp’s donation will fund a full redesign of the upstairs gallery, including physical upgrades and new programming. The goal? Engage and inspire a new generation. And it’s already working: at the site’s summer fundraiser in June, news of the gift triggered matching donations, instantly doubling its impact.
Sharp, a retired Milbank partner and owner of The Magazine Antiques, is no stranger to giving. He’s the kind of collector whose idea of generosity includes long-term loans of Cole’s earliest artworks and gifts like the artist’s guitar and paintbox. (Yes, Cole played guitar. No, he never released an album. Missed opportunity.)
With help from Met Museum luminaries like curator emerita Betsy Kornhauser and exhibition designer Dan Kershaw—not to mention Hollywood-favored architect and board member Stephen Shadley—the Thomas Cole Site is preparing to unveil a space that’s dynamic, accessible, and, frankly, cool. Visitors can expect not just paintings but artifacts: mineral collections, herbariums, and Cole’s Diagram of Contrasts, a vivid tool-turned-artwork on loan from Sharp himself.
The revamped gallery will be known formally as The Richard Sharp Gallery. But it’s already affectionately called “The Rick,” a sly nod to another venerable institution 100 miles south (you know the one). Doors open in April 2026 with a major Cole exhibition.
“What I’m trying to do,” Sharp says, “is to share that experience of educating one’s eye, and to spread the joy—the feeling of discovery—that comes from ‘slow looking.’”
It’s that blend of personal passion and civic generosity that has site staff singing praises. “Rick Sharp is showing that the support of private individuals can not only energize new experiences but also inspire others,” says Executive Director Maura O’Shea. Chief Curator Kate Menconeri adds: “This new transformative gift honors Cole’s legacy and ensures that future generations will continue to find relevance, connection, and inspiration in his visionary work.”
As the Hudson River School’s founding father once said, “How lovely are the little streams.” With “The Rick” soon to flow freely, Thomas Cole’s stream of influence is poised to swell again.
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This article appears in July 2025.
