The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, D.C., has received a significant gift consisting of more than 60 modern and contemporary works, primarily drawings and works on paper. The donation was generously provided by longtime benefactors Lenore and Bernard Greenberg of Los Angeles.
Among the highlights is the first-ever drawing by Bruce Nauman to enter the NGA’s collection—Dream Reaper (1983), a large-scale, mixed-media piece rooted in the artist’s signature neon wordplay.
The gift also includes two early Susan Rothenberg charcoal works from 1984—one simply titled Untitled, and the other a portrait referencing painter Elizabeth Murray.
Noteworthy additions span the careers of several acclaimed artists:
Ed Ruscha’s Study for “OOF” (1962), a preparatory sketch for his famous painting OOF (1962–63), marks the earliest Ruscha drawing in the Gallery’s holdings.
Philip Guston is represented with two drawings: an early abstract Untitled (1953) and Dawn (1980), created shortly before his death and reflecting his later figurative phase.
The collection also features works on paper by Vija Celmins, Willem de Kooning, Alberto Giacometti, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Franz Kline, Brice Marden, Shahzia Sikander, Cy Twombly, and others.
Supplementing the drawings are selected photographs by John Baldessari, Roni Horn, Uta Barth, and Hiroshi Sugimoto, as well as a 1929 wire sculpture by Alexander Calder titled The Acrobats, enriching the NGA’s holdings in these media.
Kaywin Feldman, the NGA Director, termed the gift “transformative,” noting that it broadens the museum’s narrative of modern and contemporary art and will enrich visitor experiences for generations .
The donation continues a legacy of patronage: Lenore Greenberg’s mother, Rita Schreiber, previously donated works by Constantin Brânçusi, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso to the Gallery in memory of her husband, Taft. The Greenbergs have each served nearly two decades on the NGA’s Collectors Committee, and Lenore additionally held three four-year terms on the Trustees’ Council.
This gift signals a deepening of the National Gallery’s commitment to 20th- and 21st-century works on paper. Individual art lovers and scholars will gain unprecedented access to drawings that chart pivotal moments in modern art history. The NGA’s permanent collection now offers fresh insights through this exceptional infusion of drawings, prints, photographs, and sculpture.
