May 3, 1930 - May 27, 2022
Published by New York Times
Margot Tishman Linton, of Rye, NY died May 27, 2022 at the age of 92. Margot was born in New York City on May 3, 1930 to Rebecca ("Rita" Valentine) Tishman and Norman Tishman, who became chairman of Tishman Realty and Construction, founded by Margot's grandfather, Julius Tishman, in 1898. Margot grew up in New York City and enjoyed summers in Deal, NJ and summers at Songowood on Pleasant Lake, Casco, ME and Tripp Lake Camp in Poland, ME. After attending Horace Mann and graduating from Friends Seminary in New York City, she attended Smith College, graduating in 1952. Margot was a world-traveler, who supported the social business needs of her husband of 63 years, Robert Linton, a successful investment banker. She enjoyed tennis well into her 80s and skied with her family from homes in Killington, VT and Santa Fe, NM. Margot Linton was a homemaker and volunteer raising four children in Rye, NY, when in the late 1960s, she was introduced to modern contemporary art by her sister and brother-in-law. Margot became a passionate collector and active supporter of the visual arts ever since. In 1972, Margot founded The Friends of the Neuberger Museum in Purchase, NY and subsequently became the first president of the museum's board. For more than 25 years, Margot devoted time, energy, imagination and financial support to the American Federation of Arts (AFA), the leader in traveling art exhibitions internationally. In 1976, she joined the staff of the AFA, where she served as Director of Membership for 10 years, during which time she founded the National Patron's and Benefactor's Circle programs, and organized the Affiliates, a group of volunteers who served on the Membership and Events Committee. In 1986, she was elected to the board of trustees, and in 1993 became a vice president. Margot's combined love of art and travel had a lasting influence on the AFA membership program. She founded the AFA's travel program which offered exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to museums, private collections, and artist studios in the US and abroad. In recognition of Margot's longstanding commitment to the AFA, in 2003, she was presented with the first-ever Elihu Root Distinguished Service Award, named for the founder of the AFA to recognize those who have demonstrated a devotion to the AFA's mission to bring great works of art to an extended audience and to strengthen the ability of museums to enrich the public's experience and understanding of the visual arts. The AFA's final tribute was naming Margot an honorary trustee upon her retirement. Margot was a board member of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, a trustee of the College of Santa Fe, and a member of the National Committee of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. She was also on the Visiting Committee and a Board Member of the Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton, MA, her alma mater. Margot is survived by her sister, Valerie T. Diker (Charles) of New York; sons, Thomas N. Linton, of Santa Fe, NM; and Jeffrey R. Linton (Judith) of Rye, NY; and a daughter, Elizabeth M. Linton of Berkshire, England; five grandchildren and two great-grandsons. She was predeceased by her husband, Robert E. Linton, her daughter Roberta L. Bennett, and her brother, Peter V. Tishman.