Recent Gift of Art

The striking neon work All Art Has Been Contemporary by Italian artist Maurizio Nannucci was purchased in June 2011 with funds donated by 47 members of the 2010-2011 Contemporary Art Visiting Committee.

Beginning with his early experiments in the 1960s, contemporary master Maurizio Nannucci has explored the relationship between language, image, form, light, and space.   He creates "neon texts," borrowed from his ongoing collection of phrases, "Anthology" (1967/2011…). In glowing neon—instantly recognizable and used all over the world in advertising signage—All Art Has Been Contemporary illuminates a profound concept. It is an apt reminder of the importance of contemporary art within the context of the Museum’s encyclopedic collection, and how all art at the MFA has at one point in time been contemporary.

Poetically inspiring and inviting, this exceptional work was the first neon piece to enter the collection and expanded our representations of international contemporary masters.  It is a centerpiece of Sparking Dialogue, the inaugural installation of the Cohen Galleria in the newly renovated Linde Family Wing. 

The piece was acquired through the generous support of the 2010-2011 Contemporary Art Visiting Committee to mark the opening of the Linde Family Wing.  The Contemporary Art Visiting Committee has a long history of supporting acquisitions for the Museum, including works by Kara Walker (2005), Tony Cragg (2007), Rachel Whiteread (2008), Jim Lambie (2008) and Candice Breitz (2010).

For more information on making a gift of art, please call the Gifts of Art Program at 617-369-4047.