In conjunction with the exhibition Richard Serra: Prints the Nasher Sculpture Center’s curators have chosen works from the Nasher Collection that provide context for better understanding Serra’s work. The sculptures span decades, from the experiments of Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brancusi, and Henri Matisse in the first years of the twentieth century to works by Serra’s near-contemporaries Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, and Richard Long.
Richard Serra is an avid and thoughtful viewer of art and in interviews over the years has regularly discussed his experiences as a viewer and their impact on his work. Critical thinking is crucial to his process, and in some cases realizing which directions were not of interest was as important to his development as seeing art that moved him. The current installation includes works that resonate with Serra’s concerns as well as sculptures that offer a counterpoint, as in a selection of Abstract Expressionist sculptures on the garden side of the gallery. Serra has responded strongly to a range of significant artists, including Brancusi, Matisse, Giacometti, Picasso, and Johns; his comments on them are included on the labels for their works.