Editing World Monuments Fund

{{Short description|American NPO}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = World Monuments Fund
| logo = World Monuments Fund logo.svg
| type = Arts and Culture
| tax_id = 13-2571900
| founded_date = {{start date and age|1965}}
| founder = James A. Gray (1909–1994)
| location = [[Rockefeller Center]]<br>[[New York City|New York]], [[New York (state)|NY]]
| origins =
| key_people = Bénédicte de Montlaur, Chief Executive Officer<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wmf.org/press-release/world-monuments-fund-names-bénédicte-de-montlaur-next-ceo |title=World Monuments Fund Names Bénédicte de Montlaur Next CEO |publisher=World Monuments Fund|date=30 July 2019|access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref>
| area_served = Global
| focus = [[Architectural conservation]], [[historic preservation]], [[archaeology]], [[cultural heritage management]]
| method = Fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, training
| revenue = $16.3 million (2010)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wmf.org/sites/default/files/annual_report/WMF%202010%20Annual%20Report%20med.pdf |title=World Monuments Fund 2010 Annual Report |access-date=17 August 2011}}</ref>
| endowment = 
| num_volunteers = 
| num_employees =
| num_members = 
| owner = 
| non-profit_slogan = 
| former name = International Fund for Monuments (1965–1984)
| homepage = {{url|https://www.wmf.org/}}
| dissolved = 
| footnotes = WMF has affiliates in Cambodia, Peru, France, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom
}}

'''World Monuments Fund''' ('''WMF''') is a private, international, [[non-profit]] organization dedicated to the [[historic preservation|preservation]] of historic [[architecture]] and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training.

Founded in 1965, WMF is headquartered in [[New York City|New York]], and has offices and affiliates around the world, including [[Cambodia]], [[France]], [[Peru]], [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], and the [[United Kingdom]]. In addition to hands-on management, the affiliates identify, develop, and manage projects, negotiate local partnerships, and attract local support to complement funds provided by donors.<ref>[https://www.wmf.org/what-we-do "What we do"], World Monuments Fund. Retrieved 2 January 2019.</ref>

==History==

===International Fund for Monuments (1965–1984)===

The International Fund for Monuments (IFM) was an organization created by Colonel James A. Gray (1909–1994) after his retirement from the [[U.S. Army]] in 1960. Gray had conceived of a visionary project to arrest the settlement of the [[Leaning Tower of Pisa]] by freezing the soil underneath, and he formed the organization in 1965 as a vehicle for the implementation of this idea. Even though this project did not materialize, an opportunity arose for the young organization to participate in the conservation of the [[Rock cut architecture|rock-hewn]] churches of [[Lalibela]] in [[Ethiopia]]. In 1966 Gray secured the support of philanthropist [[Lila Acheson Wallace]] (1889–1984), who offered $150,000 to the International Fund for Monuments and [[UNESCO]] (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) for this project. The project continued until the Communist overthrow of [[Haile Selassie I]] and the subsequent expulsion of foreigners from Ethiopia. After Ethiopia, Gray's interests shifted to [[Easter Island|Easter Island (Rapa Nui)]] off the coast of [[Chile]]. Gray formed the "Easter Island Committee", with Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer [[Thor Heyerdahl]] (1914–2002) as its honorary chairman. Gray arranged to have one of the monolithic human figures known as ''[[moai]]'' exhibited in the United States. With the help of anthropologist [[William Mulloy]] (1917–1978), Gray selected an {{convert|8|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}}, five-ton head, which was exhibited in front of the [[Seagram Building]] in New York and in the [[Pan American Union Building]] in Washington, D.C.

[[Image:GokarnaMahadevTemple.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Gokarna Mahadev Temple|The Mahadev Temple in [[Gokarna, Nepal|Gokarna]], [[Nepal]], a conservation project of the International Fund for Monuments.]]
An important chapter for the organization started with its involvement in the broad international effort led by UNESCO for the protection of the city of [[Venice]], [[Italy]] from catastrophic flooding. After the extremely high tide of 4 November 1966, the city, including the historic [[Piazza San Marco]], was inundated for more than 24 hours. The International Fund for Monuments set up a "Venice Committee", with Professor John McAndrew (1904–1978) of [[Wellesley College]] as chairman and Gray as executive secretary. On the part of the committee, appeals were made to the American public, and local chapters set up in American cities. This early initiative led to the formation of the independent organization Save Venice in 1971.<ref>"[https://www.savevenice.org/about/history-mission History & Mission: History]". Save Venice. savevenice.org. Retrieved 21 November 2018.</ref> These efforts helped establish a reputation for IFM. In [[Spain]], the organization formed a Committee for Spain under the leadership of American diplomat and [[United States Ambassador to Spain|U.S. Ambassador to Spain]] in 1965–67 [[Angier Biddle Duke]] (1915–1995).

At the invitation of UNESCO in the 1970s, IFM became involved in architectural conservation in [[Nepal]], where the organization adopted the Mahadev temple complex in [[Gokarna, Nepal|Gokarna]], in Nepal's [[Kathmandu Valley]]. The 14th-century temple building was surveyed, rotten timbers were replaced, and the foundations were strengthened. Sculpted wooden architectural elements were painstakingly cleaned of layers of a [[motor oil]] coating that had been applied annually for protection.

[[Image:Citadelle Laferrière.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Aerial view of the Citadelle Laferrière|Aerial view of the [[Citadelle Laferrière]], in northern [[Haiti]], a conservation project of the World Monuments Fund (1985–87).]]Also at the request of UNESCO, IFM launched a project for the preservation of the [[Citadelle Laferrière]], a large mountaintop [[fortress]] near [[Milot, Haiti|Milot]], [[Haiti]]. The site was the keystone of a defensive system constructed in the early period of Haitian independence to protect the young state from French attempts to reclaim it as a  colony. Local artisans reconstructed wooden and tile roofs over the grand gallery and batteries using traditional carpentry methods, and consolidated the stone galleries of the fortress. IFM also sponsored a traveling exhibition and a film about the history of the ''Citadelle'', which was used for educational purposes in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wmf.org/publication/world-monuments-fund-first-thirty-years|author= World Monuments Fund|date= 1996|title=World Monuments Fund: The First Thirty Years|location= New York, NY|publisher= World Monuments Fund |pages= 10–21}}</ref>

==Programs==
[[File:Craco il paese fantasma.jpg|thumbnail|The ghost town of [[Craco]], [[Italy]], a conservation project of the World Monuments Fund (2010)]]
Through donations and matching funds, WMF has worked with local community and government partners worldwide to safeguard and conserve places of historic value for future generations. To date, WMF has worked at more than 500 sites in 91 countries, including many [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Sites]]. WMF has worked at internationally famous tourist attractions, as well as lesser-known sites.

Among highly prominent projects, starting in 1990, are many temples at [[Angkor]], [[Cambodia]], including [[Preah Khan]] and [[Phnom Bakheng]]; the [[Château de Chantilly]] in Chantilly, France; the ghost town of [[Craco]], Italy; many structures in [[Rome]], including the [[Temple of Hercules Victor|Temple of Hercules]], [[Santa Maria Antiqua]], and the [[House of Augustus]]; several sites on [[Easter Island]]; various sites at ancient [[Luxor]] in Egypt; [[Lalibela]] in Ethiopia; [[San Ignacio Miní]] in Argentina; the ancient Maya city of [[Naranjo, Guatemala]]; the [[Segovia Aqueduct]] in Segovia, Spain; as well as 25 projects in [[Venice]], Italy, over 20 years. WMF has also participated in projects in the United States, including [[Ellis Island]], [[Taos Pueblo]], [[Mesa Verde National Park]], the [[Mount Lebanon Shaker Society]], and many sites in [[New Orleans]] and the [[Gulf Coast]].

===World Monuments Watch===

Every two years WMF publishes the ''World Monuments Watch'' (formerly the ''World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites''). Since the first list was compiled in 1996, this program has drawn international attention to cultural heritage sites around the world threatened by neglect, vandalism, armed conflict, commercial development, natural disasters, and climate change. Through the ''World Monuments Watch'', WMF fosters community support for the protection of endangered sites, and attracts technical and financial support for the sites. A detailed list of each event is available in the corresponding year: [[1996 World Monuments Watch|1996]], [[1998 World Monuments Watch|1998]], [[2000 World Monuments Watch|2000]], [[2002 World Monuments Watch|2002]], [[2004 World Monuments Watch|2004]], [[2006 World Monuments Watch|2006]], [[2008 World Monuments Watch|2008]], [[2010 World Monuments Watch|2010]], [[2012 World Monuments Watch|2012]], [[2014 World Monuments Watch|2014]], [[2016 World Monuments Watch|2016]], [[2018 World Monuments Watch|2018]], and [[2020 World Monuments Watch|2020]].

The sites are nominated by international and local preservation groups and professionals, including local authorities. Sites of all types, including secular and religious architecture, archaeological sites, landscapes and townscapes, and dating from all time periods, from ancient to contemporary, are eligible. An independent panel of international experts reviews and selects the sites that make up the list.<ref>[http://www.wmf.org/pdf/Watch_2008_release.pdf Press Release: World Monuments Watch List ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521092007/http://www.wmf.org/pdf/Watch_2008_release.pdf |date=21 May 2009 }}</ref> In 2010 the panelists were [[Christina Cameron]], Alfredo Conti, Pierre-André Lablaude, Jeanne Marie Teutonico, and Christopher Young.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wmf.org/downloads/2010_Watch_Panelists_Bios.pdf |title=2010 World Monuments Watch Panelist Bios |access-date=18 November 2010}}</ref>

===Special initiatives===

WMF also operates a number of special initiatives that transcend individual projects at specific sites and address broader themes in heritage preservation.

[[File:WMF Future of Babylon.ogv|thumb|This video details WMF's site management plan for [[Babylon]], a blueprint for working on the site today as well as planning for the future.]]

====Iraq's cultural heritage====
Following the [[Iraq War]], WMF created the Iraq Cultural Heritage Conservation Initiative to address the many threats to Iraq's cultural heritage resulting from the occupation and from a long period of political isolation and conflict. At the ancient city of [[Babylon]], WMF has launched a program with the support of the [[United States Department of State]] to develop a comprehensive site management plan, help local officials prepare a nomination for [[World Heritage Site|World Heritage]] listing, and establish site boundaries for the long-term protection of the ancient city.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/science/23babylon.html |first=John Noble |last=Wilford|author-link=John Noble Wilford|title=After Years of War and Abuse, New Hope for Ancient Babylon.|newspaper=The New York Times|date= 22 March 2010}}</ref>

====Modernism at Risk====

In 2006, with the support of the [[Knoll (company)|Knoll]] furniture company, WMF launched "Modernism at Risk", an advocacy and conservation program for [[Modernist architecture]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knoll.com/news/prstory.jsp?story_id=4045 |title="World Monuments Fund Responds to Modern Buildings at Risk: New Initiative Launched With Major Gift From Knoll as Program's Founding Sponsor," June 9, 2006 |publisher=Knoll.com |date=9 June 2006 |access-date=18 November 2010}}</ref>  Through this initiative, the biennial '''World Monuments Fund / Knoll Modernism Prize''' was established in 2008. The inaugural prize was awarded to Brenne Gesellschaft von Architekten for the restoration of the former [[ADGB Trade Union School]] in Germany, which was inscribed as part of the [[Bauhaus World Heritage Site]] in July 2017.

=====Recipients of the World Monuments Fund / Knoll Modernism Prize=====

*2008: ''Brenne Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH'' for the restoration of the former [[ADGB Trade Union School]] in [[Bernau bei Berlin]], Germany.<ref>[https://www.wmf.org/publication/2008-world-monuments-fundknoll-modernism-prize 2008 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize]. Retrieved 31 December 2018</ref>
*2010: ''Bierman Henket Architecten'' and ''[[Wessel de Jonge|Wessel de Jonge Architecten]]'' for the restoration of the [[Zonnestraal (estate)|Zonnestraal Sanatorium]] in [[Hilversum]], the Netherlands.<ref>[https://www.wmf.org/publication/2010-world-monuments-fundknoll-modernism-prize 2010 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize]. Retrieved 31 December 2018</ref>
*2012: ''Architectural Consortium for Hizuchi Elementary School'' for the restoration of [[Hizuchi Elementary School]] in Hizuchi, [[Yawatahama, Ehime]], Japan.<ref>World Monuments Fund press release (3 October 2012) [https://www.wmf.org/press-release/2012-world-monuments-fundknoll-modernism-prize-awarded-architectural-consortium 2012 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Prize for Modernism awarded to architectural consortium]. Retrieved 31 December 2018</ref>
*2014: ''Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library with the Central City Alvar Aalto Library'' for the restoration of the [[Viipuri Library]] in  [[Vyborg]], Russia.<ref>[https://www.wmf.org/publication/2014-world-monuments-fundknoll-modernism-prize 2014 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Prize of Modernism]. Retrieved 31 December 2018</ref>
*2016 ''Molenaar & Co. architecten'', ''Hebly Theunissen architecten'', and ''Michael van Gessel landscapes'' for the rehabilitation of the [[Justus van Effencomplex]] in [[Rotterdam]], the Netherlands.<ref>[https://www.wmf.org/publication/2016-world-monuments-fundknoll-modernism-prize 2016 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize]. Retrieved 31 December 2018</ref>
*2018 ''Agence Christiane Schmuckle-Mollard'' for the restoration of the [[Karl Marx School (Villejuif)|Karl Marx School]], [[Villejuif]], France.<ref>[https://www.wmf.org/publication/2018-world-monuments-fundknoll-modernism-prize 2018 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize]. Retrieved 31 December 2018</ref>

====Recipients of the Hadrian Award====

Each year, the World Monuments Fund's Hadrian Gala honours "Champions of Conservation" for their passionate commitment and extraordinary contributions to preserving and protecting the world's shared cultural heritage.

*1988: [[Carlo De Benedetti]]
*1989: [[Paul Mellon]]
*1990: [[Prince of Wales|His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales]] 
*1991: [[Brooke Astor]] 
*1992: [[Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto|Marella]] and [[Gianni Agnelli]]
*1993: [[Dominique de Menil]] 
*1994: [[David Rockefeller]] 
*1995: [[Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild]] 
*1996: [[Aga Khan IV|His Highness The Aga Khan IV]]
*1997: [[Phyllis Lambert]]
*1998: [[Richard Jenrette|Richard Hampton Jenrette]] 
*1999: The Sainsbury Brothers – [[Tim Sainsbury]], [[John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Preston Candover|John Sainsbury]], [[Simon Sainsbury]]
*2000: [[Harvey Golub]] 
*2001: [[James Wolfensohn]]
*2002: Hélène and [[Michel David-Weill]]
*2003: [[Eugene V. Thaw]] 
*2004: [[Carlos Slim]]
*2005: [[John Julius Norwich|John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich]] 
*2006: [[Gaj Singh|His Highness Gajsingh, The Maharaja of Jodhpur]] 
*2007: [[Rahmi Koç]], Semahat Arsel, Suna Kiraç, and the [[Koç family]]
*2008: Houghton, Doreen, and Graeme Freeman and the Freeman Foundation
*2009: [[David Rockefeller, Jr.]] [http://www.wmf.org/video/world-monuments-fund-2009-hadrian-award (Video)]
*2010: [[Ratan Naval Tata]] and the [[Tata family]] [http://www.wmf.org/video/world-monuments-fund-2010-hadrian-award (Video)]
*2011: [[Ronald Lauder|Ronald]] and Jo Carole Lauder
*2012: [[Kenneth Chenault]]
*2013: [[Roberto Hernández Ramírez]]
*2014: [[Ellsworth Kelly]] and Mica Ertegün
*2015: [[Queen Sofía of Spain|Her Majesty Queen Sofía]]
*2016: [[Tomas Maier]] and the [[Stavros Niarchos Foundation]]
*2017: Deborah Lehr and [[Frank Stella]]
*2018: [[Amyn Aga Khan|Prince Amyn Aga Khan]] and [[Eusebio Leal|Dr. Eusebio Leal Spengler]]
*2019: [[Thomas Kaplan]]

==Partners==
[[File:Lăng Minh Mạng - Mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mạng (2024) - img 26.jpg|thumb|A sign noting WMF and [[American Express]] at the {{ill|Tomb of Emperor Minh Mạng|vi|Lăng_Minh_Mạng|fr|Mausolée de l'empereur Minh Mạng}} in [[Huế]], [[Vietnam]]]]
Some of WMF's long-term partners have included [[American Express]], [[Knoll (company)|Knoll]], the Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage, the [[Samuel Henry Kress#The Kress Foundation|Samuel H. Kress Foundation]], and [[Tiffany & Co.]] The Samuel H. Kress Foundation's relationship with the organization dates almost to the inception of the International Fund for Monuments.

In 2009, WMF agreed to share approximately 2,000 images of architecture, sites, and monuments from around the world to be made available by [[Artstor]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artstor.org/what-is-artstor/w-html/col-w-monument.shtml |title=World Monuments Fund |publisher=ARTstor |date=20 August 2009 |access-date=18 November 2010}}</ref>

WMF has partnered with [[Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design]], the only high school in the United States with a four-year comprehensive historic preservation curriculum.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wmf.org/project/preservation-arts-training-williamsburg-high-school |title=Preservation Arts Training Williamsburg High School &#124; World Monuments Fund |access-date=2 December 2010}}</ref>

In May 2022, WMF announced a collaboration of digital work for the 2024 reopening of the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]'s African, ancient American, and Oceanic art galleries. The digital project "aims to bolster the understanding of several historic sites in sub-Saharan Africa", in particular sites that have been minimally explored by Western museums.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/05/24/the-met-creates-digital-project-tied-to-dollar70m-upgrade-of-african-ancient-american-and-oceanic-art-galleries|author=Gabriella Angeleti|date=24 May 2022|title=The Met creates digital project tied to $70m upgrade of African, ancient American and Oceanic art galleries |work=The Art Newspaper}}</ref>

== Strategic Affiliation with Global Heritage Fund ==
In 2023, World Monuments Fund and [[Global Heritage Fund]] announced a Strategic Affiliation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=World Monuments Fund and Global Heritage Fund Join Forces in a New Strategic Affiliation |url=https://www.wmf.org/world-monuments-fund-and-global-heritage-fund-join-forces-new-strategic-affiliation |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=World Monuments Fund |language=en}}</ref> The affiliation aims to create a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future for cultural heritage protection worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Monuments Fund and Global Heritage Fund Announce New Affiliation to Protect Cultural Heritage |url=https://www.wmf.org/press-release/world-monuments-fund-and-global-heritage-fund-announce-new-affiliation-protect |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=World Monuments Fund |language=en}}</ref> WMF added GHF’s two active projects, Dali Village in [[Guizhou]], [[China]], and [[Ciudad Perdida]] in [[Colombia]], to the WMF project portfolio.<ref name=":0" /> 

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.wmf.org/ World Monuments Fund]
*[http://www.wmf.org.uk/ World Monuments Fund Britain]
*[https://archive.today/20130414065311/http://www.autoriteapsara.org/en/apsara/about_apsara/projects/wmf.htm Description of WMF activities in Cambodia by the official ''Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap'' (APSARA)]
*[http://www.artstor.org/what-is-artstor/w-html/col-w-monument.shtml Description of partnership between ARTstor and WMF]

{{World Monuments Watch}}
{{American Express}}
{{Mid-Atlantic U.S. historical societies}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Archaeological organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Architecture groups]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Conservation and restoration organizations]]
[[Category:Heritage organizations]]
[[Category:Historic preservation organizations]]
[[Category:History organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1965]]