Our Mission
Girlfriend Fund supports artists at critical moments in their careers—through exhibitions, publications, and thoughtful conversation. Each act of support builds upon the next, creating deep, lasting impact over time.
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Huma Bhabha: Before The End; Courtesy of the artist; David Zwirner; Photo: Nicholas Knight, courtesy of Public Art Fund, NY; Presented by Public Art Fund at Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York City, Apr 30, 2024 - Mar 9, 2025
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Installation view of Julie Mehretu (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 24-August 8, 2021). From left to right: Mogamma (A Painting in Four Parts) Part 1, 2012; Stadia II, 2004. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine), 2024 (Levitator, installation view, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art); commissioned by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; © Kara Walker, courtesy Sikkema Jenkins & Co. and Spruth Magers; photo: Fredrik Nilsen Studio
Our Story
The Fund began with a love of photography and grew into a deeper engagement with artists working across painting, collage, sculpture, ceramics, and textiles. Since the 1980s, the collection has been more than 60% women—artists who push medium and scale and expand how we see.
Artists represented include Leilah Babirye, Deborah Roberts, Rachel Whiteread, Huma Bhabha, Lorna Simpson, Simone Leigh, Carol Bove, Charline von Heyl, and Zoe Leonard.
Why “Girlfriends”
“Girlfriends” started as a nickname for the remarkable women whose work inspired the collection. Over time it came to mean community—relationships built through collecting in depth, staying close to artists’ practices, and showing up for their projects at institutions nationwide.
Claudia Wieser Rehearsal, 2021; Ceramic, digital prints, stainless steel; Presented by Public Art Fund at Brooklyn Bridge Park, July 29, 2021 - April 17, 2022; Courtesy Claudia Wieser; Marianne Boesky Gallery New York and Aspen; and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco; Photo: Nicholas Knight, Courtesy of Public Art Fund, NY.
What We Do
We partner with museums and artists to make key projects possible:
Exhibitions – direct funding and production support
Publications – catalogs and editorial that extend the work’s life
Communications – photography, web, and outreach that amplify impact
Each act of support builds on the last, creating momentum over time.
Sarah Sze, Fifth Season, 2021. Installation view, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, NY. ©Sarah Sze. Photo by Nicholas Knight courtesy of Sarah Sze Studio
An Open Invitation
We welcome new conversations, collaborations, and partnerships with institutions and individuals who share our vision.