The Phoenix Art Museum has its origins in the Phoenix Women's Club. The group's exhibition committee made a commitment in 1915 to acquire one work of art annually to enhance Arizona's artistic offerings. Thus, the Phoenix Municipal Collection was born. During the 1930s, the Phoenix Art Center, directed by Philip C. Curtis, fostered local artistic development. Later, after World War II, the idea of founding a museum in Phoenix was revived and finally inaugurated in 1959. Among the works from Castilla y León housed in the institution is María Magdalena, attributed to the School of the Master of Astorga.
