Contemporary

The Norton's Collection of Contemporary Art reflects the provocative ideas, materials, and processes explored by international artists today. This area of collecting was established as recently as 2009 with the appointment of a Curator of Contemporary Art. The Contemporary Collection reflects the recent emphasis on the art of our time with acquisitions of works by Phyllida Barlow, Nick Cave, Nijedeka Akunyili Crosby, and Jenny Saville, among others who have been featured in Norton-organized exhibitions. While the Museum Collection is strongest in American and European art, gifts of Contemporary Art received since the 1990s through the present have had a marked impact on the breadth and quality of the Museum Collection, increasing the representation of global and diverse voices.
The Contemporary Art Collection also reveals the enthusiasm of donors who have contributed significant art and funds for acquisitions; the impact of these gifts cannot be overstated. In 2002, Catherine and Gilbert Brownstone generously donated their outstanding collection of more than 50 paintings, sculpture, and works on paper emphasizing Minimalism, including examples by Lucio Fontana, Imi Knoebel, Sol LeWitt, and John McCracken. In 2016, Jane Holzer donated more than 15 artworks, including sculpture by Sylvie Fleury and Dahn Vo. And in 2018, Bob and Pam Goergen donated sculpture by important 20th- and 21st-century figures, including Mark Di Suvero, George Rickey, and Ugo Rondinone among others, which are on view in the new sculpture garden. The Norton’s Contemporary and Modern Art Council (CMAC) has also had a substantial impact in expanding the Contemporary Collection through significant gifts of art and providing funds for acquiring art.
Contemporary Collection Highlights

Louise Bourgeois (French, active United States, 1911-2010), Unconscious Landscape, 1967 – 1968

Nick Cave (American, born 1959), Soundsuit, 2010

Jenny Saville (British, born 1970), Mnemosyne I, 2012

Derrick Adams (American, born 1970), The Horse You Rode In On, 2022

Joseph Beuys (German, 1921-1986), Filzanzug (felt suit), 1970

Joseph Cornell (American, 1903-1972), Untitled, 1963

Agnes Martin (American, born Canada, 1912-2004), Dominoes, 1960

Nora Maité Nieves (San Juan, Puerto Rico, born 1980), The Portal, 2023

Zilia Sánchez (Puerto Rican, 1926-2024), Lunar blanco (White Moon), 1984/1989

Dan Flavin (American, 1933-1996), Untitled (to Janie Lee) two, 1971

Teresita Fernández (American, born 1969), Nocturnal (Rise and Fall), 2010

Nina Chanel Abney (American, born 1982), Strut for Noah, 2019

Jennifer Bartlett (American, 1941-2022), Waterlilies-Crude Foyer, 1989

Njideka Akunyili Crosby (Nigerian, born 1983), Super Blue Omo, 2016

Sylvie Fleury (Swiss, born 1961), Skin Crime 6, 1997

Nora Maité Nieves (San Juan, Puerto Rico, born 1980), The Heart, 2023

Nora Maité Nieves (San Juan, Puerto Rico, born 1980), The Eye, 2023

Amy Sillman (American, born 1954), Drawer, 2010

Wayne Thiebaud (American, 1920-2021), Neapolitan Pie, 1963

Rose B. Simpson (Santa Clara Pueblo, born 1983), Vital Organ: Gut, 2022

Bob Thompson (American, 1937-1966), Bacchanal #7, 1963