NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is pleased to announce that David Horvitz, Chairman of the museum’s board of governors, and artist Francie Bishop Good, his wife and fellow board member, have made a promised gift to the museum of 100 works from their highly regarded collection of contemporary art. With an emphasis on multi-cultural and women artists, the works date from 1978 to 2013, and fill a gap in the museum’s 6,000-work encyclopedic holdings. They will become an important educational resource for students and the community. Among the artists represented are: Cecily Brown, Tracey Emin, Teresita Fernandez, Nan Goldin, Barbara Kruger, Ana Mendieta, Catherine Opie, Cindy Sherman, Amy Sillman, Lorna Simpson, Kiki Smith, Mickalene Thomas, and Kara Walker. The promised gift will be part of Realizing Potential: The Campaign for Nova Southeastern University, the largest philanthropic campaign in the university’s 52-year history and in the history of Broward County. $250 million will be raised through this campaign. Another $300 million will come from sponsored research, service, and training programs.

Approximately 70 of the newly acquired works are on view in the exhibition Belief + Doubt: Selections from the Francie Bishop Good and David Horvitz Collection from August 26, 2016 – January 22, 2017. The exhibition’s title is inspired by one of the highlights of the collection, Barbara Kruger’s Untitled (Belief + Doubt = Sanity), 2008, a conceptual work referencing the philosophical nature of contemporary art and an underlying theme of the collection, which instills wonder in the viewer as it questions foundations of beliefs and contemporary life.

Bonnie Clearwater, NSU Art Museum Director and Chief Curator said, “Francie and David are shining models for the community and passionate and knowledgeable collectors who have again demonstrated their generosity and commitment to the museum and our mission. They have played an exemplary role in supporting artists by purchasing art early in their careers, exhibiting their work at their alternative space, Girls’ Club in Fort Lauderdale and supporting exhibitions and programs in art institutions throughout the region.”

Clearwater noted, “This is a transformative gift for the museum’s extensive collection as it provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary art that includes numerous pivotal works in the artists’ careers.”

Among these works are Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Still #19, two early silhouette collages by Kara Walker, a painting by Mickalene Thomas, neon work by Tracey Emin, digital animation by Jennifer Steinkamp, wall relief by Teresita Fernandez and woven trompe l’oeil sculpture by Miami artist Frances Trombly, all of which will be on view in the NSU Art Museum exhibition.

Among other artists in the exhibition are: Ghada Amer, Louise Bourgeois, Sophie Calle,
E.V. Day, Ann Hamilton, Wangechi Mutu, Shinique Smith, Carrie Mae Weems, and Sue Williams.

Belief + Doubt: Selections from the Francie Bishop Good and David Horvitz Collection is organized by NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale and curated by Bonnie Clearwater, Director and Chief Curator.

 About David Horvitz and Francie Bishop Good
David Horvitz and Francie Bishop Good are leading collectors and advocates of the arts who have been members of NSU Art Museum’s Board of Governors since 2007. David Horvitz is currently serving his sixth year as Chairman of NSU Art Museum’s Board of Governors. Francie Bishop Good’s artwork has been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe and Latin America and is included in public and private collections. In May 2016, NSU Art Museum received a $1 million challenge grant from the David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation to support exhibitions, programming and operations. This gift followed NSU Art Museum’s successful fulfillment of the Horvitz Family Foundation’s $1.5 million challenge grant to the museum that was announced in 2013. In 2006, the couple established the Fort Lauderdale, Florida alternative arts space, Girls’ Club, which has a mission of educating the public, nurturing the careers of female artists, and serving as a resource for students, scholars, curators and practicing artists on the contributions of women to the field of contemporary art.