Albert M. Bender

Max Pollak

Irish-born Albert M. Bender (1866-1941) was the leading patron of the Arts in San Francisco in the 1920-30s. Using the wealth he aquired as an insurance broker he helped start the careers of several artists such as Ansel Adams, Diego Rivera, and Max Pollak as well. His impact on the cultural development of the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond is noteworthy.

He donated significant collections to what are now the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Mills College Art Museum and the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. He also donated significant collections to what are now the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Mills College Art Museum and the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.

Bender "was a founding board member of the Federation of Jewish Charities and a long-time congregant of Emanu-El, whose cavernous sanctuary could not hold all who attended his funeral."

taken from wikipedia and other sources.