C.A. Ficke Legacy Giving Society

We are deeply grateful for the generous gifts from our C.A. Ficke Legacy Giving Society members, and we would be pleased to honor you with membership in this group. Your planned gift, along with those of other C.A. Ficke Society members, will sustain the Figge Art Museum and help it grow for generations to come.

You do not need to be wealthy to leave a legacy. As outlined in the Gift Options section, many planned giving options exist to enable people in all walks of life to leave a legacy at the Figge. In addition to potential tax benefits, C.A. Ficke Society members also receive special benefits that include:

  • Exclusive invitations to museum events and programs
  • Recognition on the Figge’s donor panel (if desired)
  • Recognition in the annual report and other publications (if desired)
  • Invitation to the Annual Recognition Event

If you have included the Figge in your estate plans and wish to be recognized as a member of the C.A. Ficke Society, please contact us to submit the requested information.





The Davenport Municipal Art Gallery, later renamed the Figge Art Museum, became a reality in October, 1925, when Charles August Ficke donated his extensive art collections to the City of Davenport. Charles Ficke was born in Germany in 1850. His family settled in Scott County, Iowa, and at the age of 13, he moved alone to Davenport to enroll in the public schools. He worked as a store clerk and bank cashier before leaving to attend law school in Albany, NY. While attending law school, he visited the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. He later credited this visit with sharpening his vague interest in art into something approaching devotion.

After serving two terms as mayor of Davenport, Charles spent the next several years traveling the world. On those trips, Charles acquired many artistic and cultural items, establishing the foundation of what would become an extensive art collection. In 1924, Ficke told the Davenport City Council he would donate his art collections to the city. Charles sent a formal letter to the city council stating that he would deliver 270 paintings to the city as soon as the building was ready, and that the balance of the collection would be left to the city when he and his wife passed away. At that time, Robert E. Harsche, then Director of the Chicago Art institute, stated, “No public gallery in America, that he knew of…had started out with such a large number of important paintings as a nucleus.” Charles Ficke died on December 10, 1931, at the age of 81, leaving behind a legacy of generosity and civic support that is not easily equaled in the history of Davenport.