Martin Antoine Ryerson Biography

Martin Antoine Ryerson

Educated in Europe and at Harvard Law School, he eventually took over the family lumber business. He served as director of several companies, but retired in his 40s to devote himself to collecting art. He amassed a considerable collection of French Impressionist paintings, which he donated to the Chicago Institute of Art, and was active in fundraising for the Chicago Institute of Arts, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the University of Chicago.