Logo for InfluenceWatch InfluenceWatch

Donate
Person

Aaron Fleischman

Nationality:

American
Born:

1939
Occupation:

Art Collector and Philanthropist

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Aaron Fleischman is a philanthropist, an art collector, and a former communications attorney. Most of his philanthropic donations have been to art museums and institutions, including a $75 million gift to the Art Institute of Chicago in 2024. 1

Background and Career

Aaron Fleischman was originally from Highland Park, Illinois. 2 He is a graduate of Harvard University Law School. He founded and led a successful telecom and communications law firm in Washington, D.C for 35 years. The firm operated under the names Fleischman and Walsh and then Fleischman and Harting.  It was absorbed by Edwards Angell in 2011, which was when Fleischman retired from active legal practice. 3  4

Fleischman is married to Linford Lougheed. Lougheed graduated from UCLA, volunteered for the U.S. Peace Corps, and earned a master’s degree and then a doctorate from Columbia University. He worked as a foreign service officer for the United States for two years. In 1983, he founded Instructional Design International, Inc. to develop English teaching materials in all media and has written over 40 English-as-a-foreign-language texts. 5  6

In 2016, Fleischman and Lougheed sold their home in the Washington, D.C. area with plans to spend their time between homes in New York and Miami. 3 They are full-time Florida residents as of 2024. 7

Art Collector and Philanthropist

Aaron Fleischman has been collecting art since the mid-1980s. 8 He is recognized as a top collector of modern and contemporary American and European art 6 and is a supporter of several museums and art institutions in Miami, D.C., New York, Cambridge, and Chicago. 9

Fleischman has served on the boards of several corporations and museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. 7 He has supported exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. 1

In 2018, Fleischman was elected an honorary trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. 9 He also established an endowment to fund an Aaron I. Fleischman Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art position at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in that same year. 8

He has been a trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago for over 15 years and has loaned art to the Institute for exhibitions. 10 In September 2024, Fleischman and his spouse Lin Lougheed gave the Art Institute of Chicago $75 million to fund an expansion and create new galleries to house its collection of modern and contemporary art. It was the institute’s largest naming gift in its history. The new building will be named the Aaron I. Fleischman and Lin Lougheed Building. 1  2

Fleischman and Lougheed were listed number 31 in the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Philanthropy 50, which lists America’s biggest donors, in 2024, highlighting their $75 million gift to the Art Institute of Chicago. 11

Fleischman was listed as a Top 200 Collector in 2024 by ARTnews, a publication that focuses on the art market and the global art world. It has published an annual Top 200 Collectors list since 1990. 12  13 Fleischman has been on the list for over 20 years. 2

Political Support

Aaron Fleischman is a Democrat who was an active donor to the party through 2016. He made large contributions to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), including $32,400 in 2013 and $33,400 in 2016. In 2016, he also contributed $100,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign as well as small contributions to 34 state Democratic party organizations. 14

References

  1. “Aaron I. Fleischman.” ARTnews – Top 200 Collectors. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.artnews.com/art-collectors/top-200-profiles/aaron-i-fleischman/
  2. “$75 million gift from Aaron I. Fleischman and Lin Lougheed to art institute.” Lifestyles Magazine. Accessed October 9, 2025. https://lifestylesmagazine.com/latest-news/75-million-gift-from-aaron-i-fleischman-and-lin-lougheed-to-art-institute/
  3. David Lat. “Lawyerly Lairs: A Lawyer And Art Collector’s $6 Million Home.” Above The Law. July 19, 2016. Accessed October 9, 2025. https://abovethelaw.com/2016/07/lawyerly-lairs-a-lawyer-and-art-collectors-6-million-home/
  4. “Aaron I. Fleischman.” LittleSis. Accessed October 9, 2025. https://littlesis.org/person/104925-Aaron_I_Fleischman
  5. “About Dr. Lin Lougheed.” Dr. Lin Lougheed. Accessed October 11, 2025. http://www.lougheed.com/about.php
  6. Adam Harrington, John Odenthal. “Art Institute of Chicago receives $75 million donation for new addition.” CBS News. Updated on September 10, 2024. Accessed October 11, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/art-institute-of-chicago-donation-new-addition/
  7. “$75 Million Gift to Support Future Growth on the Art Institute of Chicago Museum Campus.” Art Institute Chicago. September 10, 2024. Accessed October 11, 2025. https://www.artic.edu/press/press-releases/365/gift-to-support-future-growth-on-the-art-institute-of-chicago-museum-campus
  8. “Aaron I. Fleischman Endows Curatorship in Modern and Contemporary Art at The Met.” The Met. February 14. 2018. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.metmuseum.org/press-releases/fleischman-curatorship-2018-news
  9. “The Met Elects New Trustees Aaron I. Fleischman and Saca Lainovic.” The Met. September 12, 2018. Accessed October 11, 2025. https://www.metmuseum.org/press-releases/met-elects-new-trustees-fleischman-and-lainovic-2018-news
  10. Andrew Davis. “Gay couple donates $75M to Art Institute of Chicago.” September 10, 2024. Accessed October 11, 2025. https://windycitytimes.com/2024/09/10/gay-couple-donates-75m-to-art-institute-of-chicago/
  11. Maria Di Mento. “Aaron Fleischman and Linford Lougheed.” The Chronicle of Philanthropy – Philanthropy 50. March 4, 2025. Accessed October 9, 2025. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/the-philanthropy-50/#id=details_1556_2024
  12. “Top 200 Collectors 2024.” ARTnews. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.artnews.com/art-collectors/top-200-profiles/?filter_top200year=2024&page=2
  13. “About Us.” ARTnews. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.artnews.com/about-us/
  14. “Individual contributions – Aaron Fleischman.” Federal Election Commission donor search. Accessed October 9, 2025. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=aaron+fleischman
  See an error? Let us know!