L.A. Museums' Collections Grow Despite Poor Economy

Windfalls are rare. For every desirable object that slides through the transom or arrives on a silver platter, there are thousands that require considerable sleuthing, politicking, negotiating and fundraising. But every now and then, something wonderful falls out of the blue.

One day last June, curator Wendy Kaplan, head of decorative arts and design at LACMA, had just lamented about a big hole in her department's Arts and Crafts collection when she received an e-mail message with an offer to fix the problem.