NEW AT THE NEUBERGER:
RECENT ACQUISITIONS
In celebration of its 30th Anniversary, the Neuberger Museum of Art will feature New at the Neuberger: Recent Acquisitions from March 6 through August 21, 2005. Over the past two years, works of art included in this exhibition were added to the Museum’s collection of modern and contemporary art. “The displayed works exemplify a carefully considered and vigorous direction in the permanent collection,” says Dede Young, Neuberger Museum Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, who organized the exhibition.
New at the Neuberger showcases a variety of works, including sculpture and photography. Ursula von Rydingsvard's Bowl with Side Steps is the installation centerpiece. In 2003, Neuberger Berman partners donated funds to purchase a work in honor of founding patron Roy R. Neuberger’s 100th birthday; the monumental sculpture by von Rydingsvard was the curator’s choice, and was unanimously agreed upon by the donors. Von Rydingsvard is one of America’s most prominent sculptors. Her work was last on display at the Neuberger in 2002 in the exhibition, Ursula von Rydingsvard: On An Epic Scale. She is celebrated for her use of nontraditional material and the large scale of her powerful sculptural forms.
The exhibition also features selections from the Museum's major new photography acquisitions. In 2003, the Museum purchased Andy Goldsworthy’s suite of thirteen unique Cibachrome prints that chronicle the creation and natural destruction of a temporary stone Cairn when Andy Goldsworthy: Three Cairns was on view during the autumn.
William Wegman’s suite of 30 unique polacolor photographs entitled Little Red Riding Hood features the artist’s famous, hilariously deadpan Weimaraner dogs enacting the classic children’s tale in costumes that evoke the story’s characters. The suite was a gift to the Museum in honor of Roy Neuberger's 100th birthday in July 2003. A variety of silver gelatin prints by the late Westchester resident Marvin Lazarus, selections from a portfolio of photographs by Danny Lyon, and works by William Gropper, Doug & Mike Starn, and Doug Wada are also on view in the exhibition.
Collection building is an important museum mandate. Dede Young notes that in acquiring new works, it is important to look for "…those that enhance the breadth and depth of the institution’s holdings and provide a range of opportunities for presentation and interpretation.”
With the enhancement and updating of its renowned permanent collection, the additions on view in the exhibition present a glimpse into the Neuberger Museum’s future. "Perhaps most apparent in New at the Neuberger is the expansion of collecting in the area of contemporary art. This growth sustains and supports the legacy of Roy R. Neuberger, who believes that acquiring works by living artists is one of the most important and rewarding aspects of collecting,” Young asserts.
In Roy Neuberger’s honor, donors have made significant additions to the collection or provided funds to acquire works by several of the artists who have had major exhibitions at the Neuberger Museum over the past two years. “I cannot think of a better direction for the collection,” Young adds.
Opened in late 1974, the Neuberger Museum of Art, although comparatively small, maintains a focused collection of Modern, Contemporary, and African art that is of very high quality. The Neuberger offers collectors a significantly greater opportunity than other institutions -- with thousands more objects in their storerooms -- to fulfill their goals, including the altruistic intention of sharing their works of art with others. Works accepted into the Neuberger Museum permanent collection recurrently go on view for others to enjoy, and they reach a broad audience.
Curated by Dede Young, Neuberger Museum Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.
