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Morristown, New Jersey, November 10, 2004 -- The Morris Museum today
announced it was awarded The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of historic
mechanical musical instruments and automata, one of the most
significant collections of its kind in the world.

A descendant of the prominent Guinness brewing family, Murtogh D.
Guinness (1913-2002) developed a fascination with mechanical musical
instruments and automata from an early age.  Widely traveled, he was
exposed to the arts, music and architecture from an early age.  In the
1920s, his mother took him to Breguet in Paris, a well-known shop that
sold clocks, watches and related items, and offered him the opportunity
to select just one piece.  He chose a pop-up mechanical singing bird in
a silver case bearing his initials.  This purchase launched a lifelong
passion and marked the genesis of one of the world's most important
collections of its kind.

While Mr. Guinness was always attracted to technical innovation, it was
not until 20 years later that he began collecting mechanical musical
instruments and automata in earnest.  At that point, he moved first to
Bermuda before settling in Barbados and New York City with his wife
Anne and their two Yorkshire terriers.  He tried to integrate his
musical box collection into the Caribbean house, but owing to the balmy
climate, he ultimately had a portion of his collection travel back and
forth with him to Barbados before all were finally kept in New York
City.

In the 1940s and '50s, New York City was rife with opportunities to
expand and upgrade Mr. Guinness' collection.  His first residence was
a home on East 35th Street, where he cultivated relationships with the
flood of antique dealers and people descended from the golden years of
disc box production in New Jersey.  As a result, his collection began
to flourish.  In 1960-61, Mr. Guinness purchased a townhouse on East
80th Street and converted the bottom floor to accommodate his
collection.  Before long, he built not only the largest but also one of
the most important known collections of these devices in the Western
hemisphere.  In 1967, he purchased and added on to the twin townhouse
on East 80th Street to make room for his accumulated marvels.  In the
process, Mr. Guinness had acquired an astonishing collection of musical
boxes, fairground organs, orchestrions (featuring player pianos,
cymbals, and bells) and more from all over the world.

The prestigious collection is an extraordinary and diverse collection
assembled over 50 years.  It features nearly 700 rare mechanical
musical instruments and automata dating from the late 16th to the early
20th century.  The musical boxes, multi-instrument devices, street
organs, orchestrions and mechanically activated life-like figures
reflect exquisite craftsmanship, innovative technology and dynamic
sound.  Awarded by the Murtogh D. Guinness estate, the collection was
a lifelong passion for the late Mr. Guinness, who was an early leader
of the Musical Box Society International.

"For more than 90 years, the Morris Museum has been a vibrant
educational and cultural center in New Jersey," said Steven H. Miller,
executive director of the Morris Museum.  "We are thrilled to have been
given the extraordinary Murtogh D. Guinness Collection.  The Morris
Museum looks forward to being an international destination for this
unique subject."

"The Morris Museum is fortunate to be the recipient of this historic
collection that represents a pivotal chapter in the evolution of music,
art, entertainment, and much more," said Ellen M. Snyder-Grenier,
curator of the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection.

"The exhibition will provide yet another fun, family-friendly
experience for visitors, as it touches on everything from science and
technology to magic, illusion, history and art."

To house this world-class collection, the Morris Museum plans to build
a new wing with a suite of galleries that will be interactive, engaging
and will include educational adventures in sight and sound for the
whole family.  A temporary, initial exhibition is scheduled to open to
the public on November 11, 2004, and the permanent exhibition is
scheduled to be unveiled in the new wing in 2006.  Ultimately, the
museum envisions permanent, changing and traveling exhibitions of the
Murtogh D. Guinness Collection.

"Not only does this acquisition reinforce the Morris Museum's role as
an important cultural center, it further strengthens the position of
Morristown, Morris County and the state of New Jersey as important
travel destinations," said Peter Mancuso, chairman of the museum's
Board of Trustees.

Murtogh D. Guinness is remembered not only for his fantastic
collection, but also for his overwhelming graciousness and hospitality.
Mr. Guinness said it best when he concluded his collection booklet with
the following statement: "Let me acknowledge the deep satisfaction that
the gathering of this collection has afforded me, a satisfaction all
the richer for having been shared with fellow enthusiasts."

Founded in 1913, the Morris Museum explores and celebrates the arts,
sciences, and history through exhibitions, educational programs,
performing arts and special events.  The museum serves over 210,000
adults and children each year.

The Morris Museum, located at 6 Normandy Heights Road (at the corner
of Columbia Turnpike) in Morristown, New Jersey, is open Tuesday,
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to
8 p.m.; and Sunday 1-5 p.m.  Admission to the museum is $7 for adults
and $5 for children, students and senior citizens.  Admission is always
free for museum members and is free to the public every Thursday between
1 and 8 p.m.  For more information, call 973-971-3700, or visit
http://www.morrismuseum.org/

Marc Weinstein
Spring, O'Brien & Co.
(973) 267-8800, ext. 34
marcw@spring-obrien.com.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]