A Material Legacy: The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Collection of Contemporary Art

The Nasher Museum presents A Material Legacy, an exhibition that explores two distinct legacies: one of contemporary artists’ innovative use of materials, the other of philanthropy and collecting. The artists presented here are the descendants of avant-garde predecessors who emerged a century ago and embraced industrial metals, manufactured objects and other non-traditional materials in the creative process. Comprised almost exclusively of art made in the last 10 years, A Material Legacy reinforces this lineage and provides a glimpse into the varied approaches and techniques of artists today.

The second aspect of this exhibition recognizes a legacy of patronage that began with the founding benefactors of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Raymond and Patsy Nasher. In Dallas, they established NorthPark (1965), a shopping center filled with masterpieces from their collection, and the Nasher Sculpture Center (2003), an art museum dedicated to sculpture, ensuring educational art experiences for the public. Daughter and son-in-law Nancy Nasher and David Haemisegger continue this same philanthropic spirit through their oversight of NorthPark and support of the Nasher Sculpture Center and the Nasher Museum of Art. Over the past decade, they have amassed a significant collection of their own and are sharing selections from it with the public for the first time in A Material Legacy.