Women of Land Art
October 23 - 24, 2023
For many years, historical accounts of Land art have been dominated by male artists whose earthworks have shaped the movement’s definitions around monumentality, permanence, and the “blank” canvas of seemingly remote or unpopulated landscapes. Land art is all of these things, but it is not limited to them. Its reductive characterization obscures the more subtle and less intrusive gestures that typify many examples of Land art by women artists.
Sculpting Mid-Century Modern Life
January 29, 2022
An in-depth discussion of the work and impact of American artist Harry Bertoia (1915–1978), who was one of the most prolific, innovative artists of the postwar period. Bertoia’s legacy includes designs for one-of-a kind jewelry and iconic chairs, thousands of unique sculptures including large-scale commissions for significant buildings, and advancing the use of sound as sculptural material. Harry Bertoia: Sculpting Mid-Century Modern Life questions how and why we distinguish between a chair, a necklace, a screen, and a freestanding sculpture—and what Bertoia’s sculptural things, when seen together, say about the fluidity of visual language across culture, both at mid-century and now.
September 15, 2018
A panel of experts on the life and work of Jean (Hans) Arp gathered on opening weekend of The Nature of Arp for a thoughtful discussion about the work of one of the most important and multifaceted artists of the modern era.
January 27, 2018
An in-depth discussion about the origins of creativity in the human mind presented in conjunction with a groundbreaking exhibition curated by an artist and an anthropologist. First Sculpture: Handaxe to Figure Stone presents prehistoric handaxes and figure stones as evidence of the earliest forms of artistic intention among our ancient ancestors.
Stories from the French Sculpture Census
February 21, 2015
From beloved works by Matisse and Rodin in museums to American icons like the Statue of Liberty, French sculpture has had an indelible impact on the cultural landscape of the U.S. In celebration of a website that reveals the extent of this shared history, Laure de Margerie and panelists from the project’s international partner institutions share stories of works drawn from the database of the French Sculpture Census.
Ceramic Sculpture of Fontana, Melotti, Miró, Noguchi, and Picasso, 1943–1963, and Its Legacy
September 21, 2013
Organized to coincide with the public opening of the exhibition Return to Earth: Ceramic Sculpture of Fontana, Melotti, Miró, Noguchi, and Picasso, 1943–1963, this symposium offers a number of new perspectives on the often-overlooked, yet ground-breaking work in fired clay of some of the most important artists of the 20th century.
March 17, 2007
Matisse: Painter as Sculptor was organized thematically around a core group of more than 40 of Matisse’s great sculptural masterworks, complemented with a selection of related works on paper, paintings, and original photographs of the artist at work. These groupings helped to illuminate the evolution of Matisse’s creative process, and reveal the dialogue between the two- and three-dimensional in his oeuvre.
Intention, Appearance and Interpretation in Modern Sculpture
October 22 - 23, 2004
The Nasher marked its first anniversary with an interdisciplinary conference focused on issues of interpretation and meaning surrounding the variability of physical states in modern sculpture. Co-organized with the J. Paul Getty Museum and funded by the J. Paul Getty Trust, the conference brought together over 130 art historians, conservators and curators for a fruitful exchange of ideas and information.