Howard Owen Fine was not so wild about the artwork that hung on the walls of the Concordia Argonaut club.
As a board member, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
He set up a system where members temporarily donated their own artwork to enliven the Jewish men’s club’s walls. He also got the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley to temporarily donate art.
Soon, the more staid etchings and prints from the 19th century were replaced by contemporary works in bright colors by Wayne Thiebaud and Pablo Picasso, recounted Seymour Fromer, founding director of the Magnes Museum.
Fine, who went on to serve as president of the Magnes, died on Sunday, June 26 in Napa, one week short of his 79th birthday.
Fine was born July 3, 1926 in Pittsburgh, Penn. After serving in the Merchant Marines, he attended the University of Pittsburgh.
In 1966, Fine moved to Oakland and purchased a building supply company. He also brought with him Armstrong painting company, which would become widely known in the Bay Area for its phone number, 777-1234.
As a board member of the Concordia Argonaut, Fine was instrumental in helping the club renovate after a major fire in 1982. He became president of the Magnes in 1992.
Fromer called Fine’s approach to fund-raising “innovative,” noting that he invited Michael Feinstein to perform at an annual dinner, before Feinstein was well-known.
During his presidency of the Magnes, the museum established a position for a curator of Judaica. It also established an international video competition, in which filmmakers and video artists sent in their views on Jewish life around the world.
“He was a very warm, human being and very supportive of the staff and other people,” said Fromer. “He loved to read, and he had a wonderful personal art collection.”
Fine was also a great jazz fan and was friendly with saxophonist Stan Getz.
Fine is survived by his wife Stephanie of Napa; son Mitchell Fine of San Francisco; son Thomas Fine of Napa; daughter Carolyn Fine of Fort Pierce, Fla., and Deidre Fine of San Francisco.
Donations can be made to the Judah L. Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St., Berkeley, CA 94705.