The 29 works of art comprising Contemporary Art from the Norton Family
Collection were recently donated to the Haggerty Museum of Art by Los
Angeles-based collectors Peter and Eileen Norton. Shown together for the
first time, the pieces in this exhibition represent the work of 19 contemporary
American artists who employ a diverse range of mediums and processes.
Peter and Eileen Norton began seriously collecting art in the 1980s.
Since that time, the focus of their attention has been on emerging artists
who pursue new visual forms as a means for expressing socially significant
issues. Work that challenges definitions of identity and pushes the boundaries
between media and genres is of particular interest to the couple. The Nortons'
current collection of nearly 2000 works includes paintings, sculptures,
prints, photographs, installation works, and video art. They have been
regularly recognized among the world's top collectors of contemporary art.
In 1998 the Nortons purchased a 700-piece collection from Clyde and
Karen Beswick. It was this acquisition that served as the impetus for the
Nortons' donation of nearly 1,000 works of art from their private collection
to 29 institutions throughout the United States - primarily smaller museums
and university art galleries outside of major cities. The Nortons'
intention, in donating the work, is to increase the visibility and appreciation
of contemporary art and simultaneously strengthen the collections of the
selected institutions.
"Even the biggest museums," according to Peter Norton, "have very limited
funds for the purchase of contemporary art. The many smaller art museums
and arts centers are even shorter on acquisition funds. So we thought the
most interesting and beneficial thing we could do was to create mini-collections
that would be organized in some meaningful way - by region, for example,
or by subject matter - and donate them to lean but admirable arts institutions
across the country; the university galleries and museums in small cities
that have shown spunk and interest in this realm."
The Haggerty Museum of Art is one of only 3 Midwestern museums to receive
a gift from the Norton Collection. The overriding theme of the Haggerty
donation is nature - particularly, nature gone awry. The majority
of works in Contemporary Art from the Norton Family Collection were made
in the early to mid 1990s by artists who, at the time, were not widely
recognized in art institutions. In recent years, however, many of the artists
included in this exhibition have attained a great deal of notoriety and
success - among them, Alexis Rockman, Gregory Crewdson, Elliott Green,
Tim Ebner, and Judy Pfaff.
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Elliott Green, American (b.1960)
Untitled, 1995
Acrylic and collage on wood panel
24 x 36 in.
Gift of Peter Norton, 2000.11.3 |
Elliott Green, American (b.1960)
Emergence 46, 1993
Acrylic and gesso on canvas
24 x 36 in.
Gift of Peter Norton, 2000.11.2 |
Deborah Brown, American (b.1968)
Untitled (Mushroom Centaur),1994
Mixed media
9 1/2 x 9 x 5 1/2 in.
Gift of Eileen and Peter Norton, 2000.10.2 |
Gregory Crewdson, American (b.1962)
Untitled (Dead Fox with Grapes), 1994
C-print, Edition 2/6
30 x 40 in.
Gift of Peter Norton, 2001.13.1 |
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Biff Henrich, American (b.1953)
Untitled (Turkey), 1989
C-print
Edition 1/5
40 x 30 in.
Gift of Peter Norton, 2000.11.4 |
Alexis Rockman, American (b.1962)
Untitled (JG 92),1994
Ink and watercolor on paper
20 x 16 in.
Gift of Peter Norton, 2001.13.6 |
Robert Dunlavey, American
Winged Devil,1984
Painted wood
6 1/2 x 10 3/4 in.
Gift of Eileen and Peter Norton, 2000.10.6 |
Tim Ebner, American (b.1953)
Untitled (Wolf, Alligator and Fish),1997
Oil on canvas
48 1/4 x 42 1/2 in.
Gift of Eileen and Peter Norton, 2000.10.7 |
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Alexis Rockman, American (b.1962)
Kapok Tree, 1995
Oil on wood
96 x 64 in.
Gift of Peter Norton, 2001.13.7 |
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