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San Diego-based businessman, art collector and philanthropist Matthew Strauss died on August 20. He was 91 years old.
Together with his beloved wife of 70 years, Iris, Strauss had a profound impact on the University of California San Diego – and the entire region – by supporting areas such as the arts, culture and cancer research.
“Matthew Strauss was a generous visionary and friend with an insatiable passion for learning,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “He was committed to making a difference in society by supporting the arts, culture and education, as well as research to advance health care and medical discovery. We are grateful for the impact he and Iris had on the UC San Diego campus, and we will miss him greatly.”
In 2023, Matthew and Iris Strauss donated a world-class collection of contemporary art to UC San Diego through their Strauss Family Foundation. The renowned collection includes more than 100 works by artists from around the world, including paintings, mixed media art, and sculptures. They also donated the property that housed the collection, with the intention of selling it to establish the Matthew and Iris Strauss Family Foundation Endowment at UC San Diego, which will provide funds to preserve and expand the collection.
The Strauss Family Meta Gallery was named in honor of this gift. The highly anticipated gallery, the newest addition to UC San Diego’s art ecosystem, will be called “The Strauss” and will open in 2026 in UC San Diego’s new Triton Center.
“Matthew’s deep love of the arts and his commitment to sharing the joy of creative expression with others have left an indelible mark on our campus,” said Cristina Della Coletta, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities. “His memory will live on in the Strauss Family Meta Gallery, which greatly expands the university’s arts ecosystem and will inspire many generations to come.”
In addition, the couple has provided significant financial support to UC San Diego Health, including the Moores Cancer Center, over the decades.
“Matthew Strauss was a champion for a cure for cancer,” said Patty Maysent, CEO of UC San Diego Health. “His tireless commitment to supporting cancer research and innovative treatments gave countless people more life, more health and more time to enjoy the beauty of everyday life. His legacy of compassion, drive and leadership will continue to inspire future generations.”
The Strauss family founded the Iris and Matthew Strauss Center for the early detection of ovarian cancer and financially supported the development of a cancer vaccine.
“Matthew Strauss leaves an indelible mark on the hearts of those who knew him. His steadfast leadership and business acumen underpinned his countless contributions to important causes, from medical research to the world of art. The ripples of his generosity will heal and inspire for generations to come,” said Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, director of the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute, associate director of the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center and professor of medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. “Matthew believed that engaging with art broadens horizons and enables scientific discovery to be made collaboratively and more rapidly. We will all miss him dearly.”
The Strausses also founded the Iris and Matthew Strauss Chancellors Endowed Chair in Head and Neck Surgeryheld by Joseph A. Califano, III, MD, professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, and Division of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
“Matt was and is a giant among human beings,” said Califano. “His generosity extended to his commitment to Moores Cancer Center and the wisdom and insight he shared with UC San Diego leaders. Matt was more than just a businessman, philanthropist and U.S. Marine veteran. He served the Moores Cancer Center community as a wise counselor, strategic genius, team captain, rabble-rouser and dear friend. We will all miss him greatly and I am deeply honored to bear his name as a professor.”
In 2019, Matthew and Iris Strauss received the Chancellor’s Medal for their long-standing contributions and support of the campus. The Chancellor’s Medal is one of UC San Diego’s highest honors for exceptional achievement in support of the university’s mission.
Matthew and Iris Strauss were both members of the campaign cabinet during the campaign for UC San Diego and sat on the Health Sciences Advisory Board, where they co-chaired the Development Committee.
Strauss was a native of San Diego. He received his bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University in 1955 and served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps from 1955 to 1957 before starting his own company. Strauss founded MC Strauss Company, a highly successful, long-established commercial real estate firm now known as MCS, in 1960. He directed the development and management of properties in California and Arizona.
Strauss was president and founder of the Matthew & Iris Strauss Family Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization established in 2007. The foundation owned the world-class art collection that the couple donated to UC San Diego in 2023.
Before making their donation to the campus, Matthew and Iris Strauss opened the collection to the public in 2008, bringing student groups from local community colleges and UC San Diego to tour the collection. Strauss was proud to personally lead the tours and share his passion and knowledge of the collection with others.
He is also the author of Matt’s Art Almanac: The World’s Great Artists of the Last 800 Years, 1200 to 2020, From Giotto to Post-Damien Hirst, a 602-page art dictionary published in 2020 and listed in the Library of Congress.
Strauss supported numerous charities in the community, including the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD), the Jewish Community Foundation, the La Jolla Playhouse, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and Congregation Beth Israel.
From 1982 to 1983, he served as campaign director for the Jewish Federation of San Diego County. In 1985, the American Jewish Committee presented Matthew and Iris Strauss with the Colonel Irving Solomon Human Relations Community Service Award. Strauss has been a trustee of the MCASD since 1987 and chaired the organization’s board of trustees from 2013 to 2016.
Strauss is survived by his wife Iris, his son Steven, who is married to Lise Wilson, and six grandchildren. He is predeceased by his two daughters Stefanie and Tamara, and his grandson Cameron. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Matthew Strauss’s memory be made to the Iris and Matthew Strauss Chancellor’s Chair in Head and Neck Surgery Current Fund at UC San Diego or to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
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