Eleanor B. Lehner
American, 1919 – 2000
Person TypePerson
BiographyEleanor B. Lehner, who died in 2000 in her 80s, traveled extensively with her husband George beginning in 1953. They acquired objects in the Middle East, India, Spain, Morocco and the U.S. While the Lehner's major interest was Islamic, Byzantine, and Ottoman art and furniture, the museum was able to acquire several pieces of Gandharan and ancient Indian art from their collections, as well as several more recent objects from India, and a Limoges book. The Lehners chartered The Foundation for Human Potentials, Inc. in 1958, and established the Villanor Museum of Fine and Decorative Arts, which included these objects. According to a 1987 interview, many of these objects were purchased in Europe or the U.S.