The Story

Born in 1863 to a wealthy Chicago family, Gertrude Bass could have lived a very ordinary and privileged life. She even spent time studying overseas in Paris, France. But Gertrude was raised in an environment of philanthropy; the women in her family had donated an art museum and children’s hospital to the city of Chicago, and her family was very interested in the arts. She was given all of the necessary tools to succeed as a woman of her time and social standing, and like many women before her, she soon married and had children.

But at the turn the century Warner’s life took a turn in a different direction. Her marriage ended in divorce and her two boys were divided, one with the father, and the other, Sam, stayed with Gertrude. In 1902 Gertrude traveled to Asia to spend time with her brother, the well known reporter John Foster Bass, who had been covering the Boxer Rebellion.

At the time that Gertrude arrived in Shanghai, foreigners may have lived in the city, but they were their own separate entity, with their own rules and often not much interaction with the local people. Gertrude, however, would prove to be different.

It was in Shanghai that Gertrude met and married Murray Warner, who was an American engineer. Together they traveled and began collecting artwork. Gertrude developed an interest in the culture of the people and her collection reflects that interest, she would often obtain objects that were not of much interest to other collectors at the time, objects of everyday life for the people in the countries she visited, objects that, one day, would help those in the West better understand the lives and cultures of those in the east. She began research that would eventually lead to two manuscripts, one about Shinto shrines and customs, and the other, entitled “When West Meets East” to serve as a guide for Americans planning a trip to the East.

Eventually, the Warner’s moved back to the United States, settling in San Francisco. But in 1920, Murray suffered a heart attack, and on October 2, he died.

Gertrude left the city to be closer to her son Sam, who was then working as a law professor at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. It was here that she began thinking about housing her large collection of Asian art. It is said that perhaps Sam helped to convince her to give the collection to the university, and in 1921 came to an agreement with the university that the collection could be theirs, given that it was named after her late husband Murray and that the University would build a museum to house it.

After ten years of fundraising and building, the Museum of Art was completed and the Murray Warner Collection had found its home. Gertrude served as director and curator, she managed every detail of the museum, even down to the humidity control and the elimination of many windows to try and preserve the fragile artwork.

Her involvement with the university and her travels continued until her death in 1951. She held an essay contest where students could write about the relationships between the West and the East, giving away trips to Asia for the winners, and she arranged for students and faculty from Asia to come to Oregon to help encourage dialogue between the two very different places.

Gertrude was a pioneer collector of Asian art, a photographer, and an adventurer. Warner knew that through art she could transcend national borders and help bridge cultural differences. Her contribution to the community is of immeasurable value.