Nam June Paik
American, born South Korea, 1932–2006
Ommah, 2005
one-channel video installation on 19-inch LCD monitor, silk robe
Gift of the Collectors Committee
Photograph by G. Orona
National Gallery of Art Acquires Works by McCracken, Paik, Torres-García At its annual meeting in late March, the Collectors Committee of the National Gallery of Art made possible the acquisition of Black Plank (1967) by John McCracken (b. 1934), a rare black early plank in pristine condition, and Ommah (2005) by Nam June Paik (1932–2006), a moving reflection on his Korean heritage and his last work of video sculpture]]>
April 17, 2010, source: National Gallery
Concurrently, the Gallery accepted one additional gift from Victoria and Roger Sant: Untitled Composition (1929) by Joaquín Torres-García (1874–1949), an important work of Latin American modernism.
“This year, the Collectors Committee’s selections brought the Gallery two important firsts: its first work of video art by Nam June Paik, one of the founders of that medium, and its first work of sculpture by John McCracken, one of the leading figures of minimal art,” said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. “We are very grateful to the Collectors Committee, which enables the Gallery to continually enhance its holdings of contemporary art, and to Gallery president Victoria Sant and her husband Roger for the Gallery’s first painting by Torres-Garcia.”
The Collectors Committee discretionary fund for photographs, drawings, and prints supported the acquisition of three photographs by Francesca Woodman (1958–1981): Caryatid, New York (Study for Temple Project), New York (1980); Untitled, Rome (1977–1978); and Untitled, Providence, Rhode Island (1975–1978); two drawings by Al Taylor (1948–1999): Untitled (Can Study) (1994) and Untitled (Floaters) (1998); a set of ten lithographs by Glenn Ligon (b. 1960): Runaways (1993); and a photolithograph on newsprint by Robert Gober (b. 1954): Untitled (1991).
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