Less than a month before the grand opening of the new Barnes museum at 20th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Foundation’s general counsel Brett Miller, 47, has died, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s office confirmed. According to Newsworks, Miller took his life in his home Saturday following what colleagues said was a severe depression.
“The Board of Trustees and the staff of the Barnes Foundation are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague and friend Brett Miller,” Derek Gillman, the director of the foundation said in a statement to The Art Newspaper on Monday. “Brett was a hugely valued member of our executive team, and for three years has worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the Foundation. He will be greatly missed. We offer heartfelt condolences to his family.”
Miller, an expert in law related to arts and intellectual property, joined the Barnes in 2009 after working as a lawyer with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, studying art history and working at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach, Florida.
"Our former partner, Brett Miller, who left our DC office in 2009 to become General Counsel of the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, passed away on Saturday," Morgan, Lewis & Bockius said in an internal memo Tuesday obtained by NBC10. " He was a talented lawyer and good friend, with a mind adept at grasping the intricacies of copyright law—an intellect matched only by his warm heart and keen eye for beauty and art."
Miller played an integral role in arguing for the museum's move from Lower Merion to Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a facility that is set to open May 19.
Miller is survived by his wife, Amy. There will be a private funeral for family and a few close friends later this week. Donations can be made in Brett’s honor to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America at this link.
