There's a treasure chest buried on East Campus--and it's full of art.
In response to the creation of the new Nasher Museum of Art expected to open in fall 2004, Duke alumni, parents and various art dealers have donated millions of dollars worth of new artwork to the Duke University Museum of Art.
While the new museum awaits construction, museum officials are storing their new pieces in an off-site storage facility as well as in a first-floor holding room in DUMA. Despite the large size of the museum's holding room, once inside, art work of every type, color, shape and size engulfs the viewer.
Huge abstract paintings that combine expressive colors with rich textures adorn the walls of the storage unit.
Michael Mezzatesta, director of DUMA, exudes enthusiasm about the donations. He explained that the museum has so many pieces that displaying a large percentage of them is even more challenging than at most museums.
"At any given time a museum is only able to show 2 percent of its pieces. With the new facility, we will be able to display more than that," he said.
Among the new pieces acquired are two large, painted Egyptian sarcophagus masks. Anne Schroder, curator for research and exhibitions, explained that the pieces were done by an unknown artist during the Ptolemaic period. They were donated to the museum earlier this year by Helene Awad Wahba.
The masks show detailed pharaoh faces with striking brown eyes and delicate features. Each is surrounded by a black and gold head piece and is made from wood.
Elsewhere in the room, there is a large Roman sculpture believed to be the head of Bacchus, the Greek god of intoxication and creativity. Due to damage, which Schroder explained was done before DUMA acquired the piece, a fragment of the head has been lost. But from what remains, the artist had apparently intended the piece to be very realistic.
Sharp facial features--from its curly hair to its large round eyes--makes the amount of artistic effort apparent.
This first century marble piece is just one of many examples of the works that DUMA acquired this year and that will be featured in the museum's new space.
Tucked away in one side of the storage area, there is a a large canvas painting entitled "Madison Avenue". The painting was done by a Russian artist named Shimon Okshteyn and it features a striking young woman in a delicate green dress standing in front of a store window with her white dog. The painting was done in 1985 and is currently on loan to DUMA from Sidney and Judith Myers, Schroder explained.
Duke students are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to view the works, Mezzatesta said, as well as thousands of other pieces that also make up the DUMA collection.
He expects the new museum will offer a welcoming environment for students. "We want students to go there to learn, look at art, take a class or even to read a book in our sculpture garden," Mezzatesta said.
One student who is excited about the prospect of viewing the new art pieces outside of a storage space is sophomore Rachel Knox, currently fulfilling her pre-medicine requirements but also looking for ways to explore her creative nature.
"I have been interested in art my whole life. Scheduling conflicts here do not allow me to indulge in it as often as I would like," Knox said. "The new museum sounds like it will provide more opportunities for me to do so in the future."
For now, these nearly priceless pieces sit in storage and wait for their viewers, but soon, in their new home, they are sure to draw crowds.
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