Inspiring Legacy 

Raised in different cultures, David Kreeger and Carmen Matanzo met and fell in love in Puerto Rico while David worked as a lawyer for the Interior Department. They married and settled in Washington, DC in 1938, at a time when the sleepy city was just beginning to become a lively center for art, music, and theater. David argued cases before the Supreme Court and later found great financial success at the helm of GEICO insurance, enabling the couple to make significant contributions to arts institutions in the Washington, DC area. They encouraged everyone to support the arts whether through donations or simply by attending performances and exhibitions. The Kreegers collected masterpieces by European and African artists. As their family and art collection grew, David commissioned architect Philip Johnson to design the stunning Mediterranean-inspired mansion on Foxhall Road that is now open to the public as the Kreeger Museum, a legacy to their lives of philanthropy. (www.kreegermuseum.org)

 

“David and Carmen Kreeger placed the visual and performing arts at the center of their lives together. The result was an inspirational standard of leadership and philanthropy which resonates to this day.” 

Douglas Wheeler,

President Emeritus, Washington Performing Arts

 

“Knowing David Lloyd Kreeger and his wife Carmen was one of the great privileges of our lives. They had a profound and inspiring impact on my life as an artist and human being. Music and art were their passions, and they shared these with everyone around them.” 

Daniel Heifetz,

Concert Violinist, Founder, Heifetz International Music Institute

 

“Isaac Stern once said that ‘David Kreeger was a much better violinist than he thought he was, but not as good as he wanted to be.’ David was awarded The National Arts Medal in 1990 by President Bush. There was no one that deserved that medal more than David Kreeger."

The Hon. William F. McSweeney,

Trustee, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts