The Detroit Institute of Arts has received one of the largest gifts in its history: more than 2,000 modern and contemporary artworks from the estate of Detroit collectors Gilbert B. and Lila Silverman. The donation, which includes nearly 500 artists, will begin going on public view in November when the museum reopens its newly renovated Modern and Contemporary Art galleries.
The gift expands the museum’s holdings across six curatorial departments, including modern and contemporary art, African American art, American art, European sculpture and decorative arts, Native American art, and prints, drawings, and photographs. It encompasses artists’ books, paintings, sculpture, photography, furniture, jewelry, textiles, performance documentation, and time-based media.
Among the highlights are works from the Silvermans’ renowned Fluxus collection, adding to the 130 works donated to the museum in 2008 through the Gilbert B. and Lila Silverman Fluxus Foundation. The gift also introduces works by artists including Vito Acconci, Diane Arbus, Jenny Holzer, Antony Gormley, Rachel Whiteread, and Christopher Wool into the DIA’s collection for the first time, alongside works by Joseph Beuys, Marcel Duchamp, Jeff Koons, Barbara Kruger, Glenn Ligon, Bruce Nauman, Diego Rivera, Bill Viola, and Andy Warhol.
Tehching Hsieh, One Year Performance 1981-1982, New York. Life Image in Spring. Photo: Tehching Hsieh. © Tehching Hsieh
The Silvermans spent decades assembling one of the country’s leading collections of postwar and contemporary art while maintaining deep ties to the Detroit museum. Gilbert Silverman served for years on the DIA’s board of directors, while Lila Silverman held leadership roles with several museum support groups. Gilbert also recalled watching Diego Rivera paint the museum’s famed Detroit Industry murals as a boy, even shaking the artist’s hand.
DIA director Salvador Salort-Pons in a press release called the donation one of the most significant in the museum’s history, saying it will reshape the institution’s presentation of modern and contemporary art. While a selection of works will debut with the reopening of the galleries in November, the museum said additional details about the renovation and reinstallation will be announced at a later date.
