Julie Reyes Taubman: Funeral Set For MOCAD Founder

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI – Renowned photographer and a founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit Julie Reyes Taubman died of cancer on Sunday, her family announced. She was 50.

Taubman, who helped found MOCAD in 2006, is listed as one of the visionaries behind the museum housed in a former auto dealership in the Midtown neighborhood. She also is credited as the person who won the financial support of the corporate community and individual donors.

"Taubman was critical to bringing acceptance of the idea of MOCAD to the corporate and individual community," according to the museum. "She organized the first major fundraiser, developed various art projects, and assembled the first board members."

As a photographer, her book, "Detroit: 138 Miles," captures gritty and bleak images of Detroit's abandoned architecture.

Taubman is survived by her husband, Robert Taubman, the chairman of retail shopping center owner Taubman Centers Inc. She also is survived by her children, Ghislaine "GoGo" Taubman, Theodore Taubman, Sebastian Taubman and Alexander Alfred Taubman, her father, Joseph Reyes, and her seven brothers.

The family will host visiting hours from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday at the A.J. Desmond and Sons Funeral Home at 32515 Woodward Ave. in Royal Oak.

A funeral will be at 3 p.m., Wednesday, in the Temple Beth El at 7400 Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills. A webcast of the funeral will be available. Interment at Clover Hill Park Cemetery.

The family will gather for reception from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham. Friends are welcome.

Image courtesy of Taubman Centers Inc.