Nasher Museum at Duke University in Durham, NC
Every artist dreams of being in a major collection and this exhibition at the Nasher Museum is an excellent example of how powerful collecting can be for the artists and for the public.
Solidary & Solitary: The Joyner/Giuffrida Collection focuses on abstract African-American artists from 1940s to the present. Beginning in 1999, the collectors identified Post-war and contemporary black artists and committed to collecting works over a span of their careers so that the public can see the trajectory of these visionary artists. The collection’s focus has expanded to include artists from Africa and the global African diaspora.
The exhibition includes two of my favorite artists, Mark Bradford, and Sam Gilliam. I saw other exciting artists including Kevin Beasley, Leonardo Drew (Wow!), Norman Lewis, Glenn Ligon, Shinique Smith, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.
The Nasher has made a commitment to exhibiting black artists from the South and from around the world and it deserves kudos for making these exhibitions a regular, rather than token, part of their curatorial agenda.
Resources:
Exhibition Information at the Nasher Museum:
https://nasher.duke.edu/exhibitions/solidary-solitary/
Installing Mark Bradford’s “A Private Stranger Thinking about his Needs”
