Posted on October 26, 2012

Duke University Receives $5 Million for Nasher Art Museum

Duke University has announced a gift of $5 million from Nancy A. Nasher and her husband, David J. Haemisegger, to create endowments for a visiting curatorship and an acquisition fund at the Nasher Museum of Art.

The gift will provide $4 million to establish the Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Fund for Acquisitions, which will support the museum's purchases of modern and contemporary art. The remaining $1 million will support the Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Visiting Curatorship Fund, which the museum will use to attract top scholars to organize special exhibitions and projects.

Nasher's father, Duke alumnus Raymond D. Nasher, founded the museum in 2005 with a gift of $10 million. Nancy Nasher, who graduated from Duke Law School in 1979 and is a lifetime member of the law school's board of visitors, is the incoming chair of the museum's advisory board, which also includes Haemisegger, and serves on the steering committee of Duke Forward, the university's recently launched $3.25 billion capital campaign. She and her husband, who co-own the NorthPark shopping center in Dallas, serve on the boards of several cultural and educational institutions there, including the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Nasher Foundation, and the Dallas Museum of Art.

"This visionary gift continues the generous tradition of philanthropy by the Nasher/Haemisegger family in support of Duke's museum," said Duke University president Richard H. Brodhead. "We are grateful for this new commitment by Nancy and David, reflecting their deep understanding of the many ways the Nasher Museum enriches the Duke community, enhances the educational experience for our students, and extends Duke's welcome to Durham and the region."