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Contemporary

The Nelson-Atkins has an outstanding contemporary art collection in diverse media surveying work from 1960 to the present.

In addition to Pop, Minimalism, Conceptual art and variations of realism, the holdings also include multiple directions of contemporary art, reflecting the pluralism and globalism of art today.

Robert Rauschenberg’s Tracer was one of the first major contemporary works acquired by the museum. Additional major acquisitions include Duane Hansen’s Museum Guard, Louise Nevelson’s End of Day—Nightscape, Donald Judd’s Large Stack, Robert Arneson’s Pablo Ruiz with Itch, Jim Dine’s Crommelynck Gate with Tools, and Nancy Graves’s Zaga.

More than 50 remarkable gifts from The William T. Kemper Collecting Initiative—including Bridget Riley’s Arrest 2, Art Part by Elizabeth Murray, Four Color Frame Painting #4 by Robert Mangold, Kerry James Marshall’s Memento #5, Anish Kapoor’s Six Secret Places, Dusasa I by El Anatsui and Raqib Shaw’s Twilight Painting II—have greatly enhanced the collection.

Noguchi Sculpture Court

The Hall Family Foundation’s Modern Sculpture Initiative supported many notable acquisitions, including seven sculptures by Isamu Noguchi.

The Noguchi Sculpture Court, designed by Bloch Building architect Steven Holl, was specifically created to house this extraordinary gift. Both the impact of the artist’s Japanese-American heritage, and the influence of European Surrealism and American Minimalism, can be seen in this exemplary body of work.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum exhibits the largest number of Noguchi sculptures in a public setting outside New York and Japan.

Anish Kapoor, English (b. 1954). Six Secret Places, 1983.
Anish Kapoor, English (b. 1954). Six Secret Places, 1983.
Wood, polystyrene, Fiberglas, and pigment, overall: 45 inches x 13 feet 11 inches x 23 1/2 inches. Purchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation—Commerce Bank, Trustee, 2001.2.A-F. This work is copyrighted. Contact Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
El Anatsui, Ghanaian (b. 1944). Dusasa I, 2007.
El Anatsui, Ghanaian (b. 1944). Dusasa I, 2007.
Found aluminum and copper wire, 312 × 396 inches (26 × 33 feet). Purchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation—Commerce Bank, Trustee, 2008.2. © courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, NY.
Kerry James Marshall, American (b. 1955). Memento #5, 2003.
Kerry James Marshall, American (b. 1955). Memento #5, 2003.
Acrylic and glitter on paper adhered to unstretched canvas banner, 9 feet x 13 feet. Purchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation—Commerce Bank, Trustee, 2003.24. © Kerry James Marshall.
Isamu Noguchi, American (1904-1988). Ends, 1985.
Isamu Noguchi, American (1904-1988). Ends, 1985.
Swedish granite, 6 feet x 6 feet x 5 feet 11 1/4 inches. Gift of the Hall Family Foundation, F99.33.69. This work is copyrighted. Contact Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Andy Warhol, American (1928-1987). Baseball, 1962.
Andy Warhol, American (1928-1987). Baseball, 1962.
Silkscreen and oil on canvas, 91 1/2 x 82 inches. Gift of the Guild of the Friends of Art and other friends of the Museum, F63.16. This work is copyrighted. Contact Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Radcliffe Bailey, American (b. 1968). Mound Magician, 1997.
Radcliffe Bailey, American (b. 1968). Mound Magician, 1997.
Paint, canvas, paper, wood, cardboard, cloth, Plexiglas, baseballs, feathers, and other media on plywood, 9 feet 7 inches x 14 feet x 26 inches. Purchase: gift of the Unus Foundation and Marc and Elizabeth Wilson in honor of John J. “Buck” O’Neil, 2005.18.A-C. © Radcliffe Bailey.
Yinka Shonibare, Nigerian, b. 1962. Planets in My Head, Physics, 2010.
Yinka Shonibare, Nigerian, b. 1962. Planets in My Head, Physics, 2010.
Mannequin, Dutch wax printed cotton, leather and fiberglass, 50 x 26 3/8 x 19 5/8 inches. Purchase: acquired through the generosity of G. Kenneth Baum in honor of Ann Baum on the occasion of her birthday, 2011.23.A-E. This work is copyrighted. Contact Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Donald Judd, American, 1928-1994. Large Stack, 1968.
Donald Judd, American, 1928-1994. Large Stack, 1968.
Stainless steel and amber Plexiglas (10 units), 15 feet 5 inches x 40 inches x 31 inches, each unit: 9 x 40 x 31 inches. Gift of the Friends of Art, F76-41. Art © Judd Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.
Robert Rauschenberg, American, 1925-2008. Tracer, 1963.
Robert Rauschenberg, American, 1925-2008. Tracer, 1963.
Oil and silkscreen on canvas, 7 feet 1/8 inches x 5 feet. Purchase: Nelson Gallery Foundation, F84-70. Art © Estate of Robert Rauschenberg/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.
Bridget Riley, English (b. 1931). Arrest 2, 1965.
Bridget Riley, English (b. 1931). Arrest 2, 1965.
Acrylic on linen, 6 feet 4 3/4 inches x 6 feet 3 inches. Purchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation—Commerce Bank, Trustee, 2001.1. © Bridget Riley, courtesy Karsten Schubert, London.
Elizabeth Murray, American (1940-2007). Art Part, 1981.
Elizabeth Murray, American (1940-2007). Art Part, 1981.
Oil on 22 canvases, 9 feet 7 inches x 10 feet 4 inches. Purchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation—Commerce Bank, Trustee, 2000.19.A-V. This work is copyrighted. Contact Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Robert Mangold, American (b. 1937). Four Color Frame Painting #4, 1984.
Robert Mangold, American (b. 1937). Four Color Frame Painting #4, 1984.
Acrylic and black pencil on canvas, 10 feet x 84 inches. Purchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation—Commerce Bank, Trustee, 2001.14.A-D. This work is copyrighted. Contact Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.