Denver City Wire

Throughout 2024, the Denver Art Museum (DAM) expanded its collection with acquisitions from various curatorial departments. This effort is part of DAM's commitment to maintaining a diverse collection that reflects its community and provides cultural insights globally. The acquisitions include both purchases and gifts, featuring works by women and artists of color.

The Architecture and Design department acquired 81 objects from 53 artists, highlighting contributions from women creators and artists of color. Notable pieces include Alexandra Kehayoglou’s Bajío (Lowland), which addresses ecological change in Argentina. Jay Sae Jung Oh’s Salvage Series Chair, made from discarded musical instruments, challenges perceptions of beauty and waste.

In the Arts of Asia department, 21 works were added, including Sano Keisuke’s Budding of Recollection (Sousou ju 想々樹), which explores themes of attachment and memory. An important album dedicated to Mr. Xinzhang was also gifted by Robert and Lisa Kessler.

The Arts of the Ancient Americas department received 118 acquisitions, including hand-drawn studies by Leslie Tillett's family. A mixed media assemblage by Carlos Santistevan was one of six purchases made this year.

European and American Art Before 1900 saw seven new additions, including Ottilie Maclaren Wallace's Bust of a Man and Antonin Mercié’s Gloria Victis. Daniel Ridgway Knight’s An Idle Moment enhances the museum's American art collection.

The Latin American Art department added 35 works ranging from colonial to contemporary art. A notable acquisition is Manuel de Arellano's Rendering of a Mulatta from Fredrick and Jan Mayer's collection.

Modern and Contemporary Art acquired 34 pieces in 2024, including Amoako Boafo’s Pink Astilbe funded through the Black Arts Collective. Diana Al-Hadid’s The Bride in the Large Glass also joined the collection.

The Native Arts department acquired 17 artworks by Indigenous women artists such as Teri Greeves’ Sons of the Sun and Shuvinai Ashoona’s Polar bear sketching people.

Photography acquisitions included Abelardo Morell's landscape work using prisms and Keisha Scarville's series Li/mb inspired by Wilson Harris’s writings on limbo history.

Textile Arts and Fashion saw significant additions with works by Nancy Hemenway Barton, Ann Lowe, Alexander McQueen, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, Rick Owens, Vivienne Tam, and Shanghai Tang entering the collection.

Finally, the Petrie Institute of Western American Art added modern works like Jessie Jo Eckford’s White Sands (New Mexico) woodblock print along with paintings by Christopher Benson and Billy Schenck.

The Denver Art Museum continues to enrich lives through creative thinking facilitated by its diverse collections supported by metro residents via the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).