The Evolution of the Nasher Collection

My father would often remark that art is like air and water – it is needed to survive and to enjoy life to its fullest. David and I are proud to support my father’s vision for Duke to have one of the best university art museums in the world. It has become our own vision.
Nancy A. Nasher

Raymond D. Nasher poses in front of Andy Warhol’s portrait of his late wife, Patsy, with his daughters (from left), Andrea, Jacqueline and Nancy Nasher. Photo by Duke Photography.

One of the Nasher Museum’s inaugural exhibitions was drawn from the internationally renowned collection of the museum’s founder and namesake, the late Raymond D. Nasher, and his late wife, Patsy. Nancy Hanks Senior Curator Sarah Schroth curated The Evolution of the Nasher Collection, which explored the development of one of the world’s most significant collections of 20th-century sculpture. The exhibition led visitors through the history of the Nashers as collectors. It included works by Anthony Caro, Mark di Suvero, Jean Dubuffet,
Alberto Giacometti, Henri Matisse, Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin and others. The exhibition also featured selections of tribal and ancient American art and early 20th century Guatemalan textiles of historical importance.

Back in the 1960’s, the Nashers discovered that sculpture by major modern artists was far less expensive than their paintings, according to Sarah Schroth. The Nashers acquired work for their Dallas home and offices, and installed art in the public spaces in NorthPark Center, their successful shopping mall in Dallas.