Description:
A tribute to the forward-thinking collector's ongoing role as a vital agent of change and growth within the contemporary art world
Since she acquired her very first artwork from Los Angeles printmaker Ruth Waddy in 1976, Eileen Harris Norton's collection has bloomed into an astonishing trove of artworks reflecting her interest in the practices of women and artists of color as well as work made in California. Destiny Is a Rose celebrates 50 years of Harris Norton's remarkable collection, taking its title from a painting in the collection by Kerry James Marshall and featuring numerous iconic works of contemporary art by Mark Bradford, Félix González-Torres, David Hammons, Glenn Ligon, Yoshimoto Nara, Adrian Piper, Betye Saar, Lorna Simpson, Carrie Mae Weems and more. Texts by art historian Kellie Jones and curator Ingrid Schaffner delve into the critical role that education and philanthropy, representation and identity, and personal relationships with artists and curators have played in shaping Harris Norton's visionary collecting practice.
Review Quotes: Today, the collection's high-low pluralism is beguiling, and distinguishes it from so many pieces unimaginative collections that showcase trophy pieces by a narrow cadre of in-vogue artists, represented by 'Big Five' galleries.--Jonathan Griffin "The New York Times"