Today the Austin American-Statesmen reported that the Contemporary Austin will transfer most of its permanent collection to the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas. This collection of 700 works has outgrown the Contemporary’s storage capacity, and the Contemporary would like to focus more on collecting works for the Marcus Sculpture Park at its Laguna Gloria campus.
The collection being transferred will become a permanent part of the Blanton’s collection. In the collection being transferred are works by, among others (per the Statesmen): “Ed Ruscha, Alexander Calder, Georges Braque, Judy Chicago, Sol LeWitt, Andy Warhol and Richard Serra, as well as celebrated Texans such as Robert Rauschenberg, Luis Jiménez, Julie Speed, Charles Umlauf, Lance Letscher, Keith Carter, Michael Ray Charles and Margo Sawyer.”
The Contemporary’s director, Louis Grachos, says this about the move:
““I feel confident that this transfer reflects the best, most ethically sound manner in which to secure the future of this rich collection,” Grachos said. “The Blanton is equipped to properly store, preserve and present these works in a traditional museum setting.”
For more on this story, go here.
