Raymond Nasher, Duke '43 and founder of the Nasher Museum of Art, died suddenly in a Dallas hospital Friday, University officials confirmed this weekend.
Nasher-whose lifelong involvement with the University culminated in his financial and institutional support for the creation of the Nasher Museum-is known worldwide as one of the greatest collectors of contemporary and modern art, especially sculpture.
Although the circumstances of Nasher's ailment have not been released, he reportedly became ill on a return flight from Paris following travels in Europe.
"His passing is a tremendous loss," said Kimerly Rorschach, Mary D.B.T. and James H. Semans director of the Nasher Museum. "He was legendary as an art collector and discerning gallery [patron]... it was just an honor to work with him to get the museum work off the ground."
Speaking from Dallas-where she had traveled to attend Nasher's memorial and funeral-Rorschach said the renowned supporter of the arts had continued to be closely involved with the Nasher Museum up until his death.
"He was very visionary in seeing that [the museum] could make a tremendous impact," she said.
Wendy Hower Livingston, manager of marketing and communications for the museum, said Nasher was known to visit the University every two to three months and consistently provided valuable guidance and connections.
Last month, he was on campus to introduce the Nasher Museum's annual Semans Lecture, given by Thomas Krens, director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
"His involvement has really been key to the museum's success," Hower Livingston said.
Rorschach said she does not expect Nasher's passing to affect the museum's relationship with the Nasher family or his beneficiaries, including the Nasher Foundation.
She added that she hopes to maintain a strong relationship with the Nasher family through his daughter, Nancy Nasher Haemisegger, Law '79 and a member of Duke's Board of Trustees.
"He was a rare individual of tremendous intelligence, spirit, energy and talent," Haemisegger told The Dallas Morning News Saturday. "He was an incredible parent and father and mentor. He was just the greatest person in our lives."
After he graduated from Duke and served temporarily in World War II, Nasher achieved great success in Texas real estate, and he used his fortune to collect artwork and support public arts projects. Along with his wife Patsy, Nasher amassed one of the most well-respected private collections of contemporary art, particularly in sculpture, in the world.
During his time at Duke, Nasher regretted the absence of a major venue for art on campus. In the early '90s, Nasher approached the University with the idea of creating an art museum that rivaled those at other elite universities around the country.
In 2001, he donated $7.5 million to create a new art museum, and the Nasher Foundation subsequently followed with a $2.5-million donation in his honor. The new museum replaced the small and outdated art facility on East Campus, which was founded in 1969.
"Every person here owns a part of this place," Nasher told an audience at the Nasher Museum's opening in October 2005. "This museum is a contribution both to this University and to this city."
Museum officials emphasized that Nasher's involvement with the museum extended well beyond the sizable donations that made its creation possible. One of the inaugural exhibits included many works that hung on the walls of Nasher's home, including portraits of the four Nasher women by Andy Warhol.
The museum continues to receive periodic loans from Nasher's varying collections, including pieces of sculpture from the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. One such loaned piece, a sculpture by Mark di Suvero, currently sits on the museum's front lawn, Hower Livingston said.
As a venue on campus, the Nasher Museum has meant much more to the University than simply a location to showcase art. Since its opening, the museum has hosted some of the largest and best-attended events on campus.
These events, especially those catering to undergraduates, delighted Nasher, Hower Livingston and Rorschach said.
"He loved meeting with students, loved seeing them make use of the space," Rorschach added.
Hower Livingston said Nasher was "particularly charmed" by the student parties thrown at the museum, and that he was excited to hear of the success of last fall's Nasher Noir party.
"He was just thrilled that the students loved this building so much, that they used the museum and have adopted it as their own," she said. "He was a student at Duke, 60-some years ago, and he felt [an art museum] was something missing on campus, felt it was missing from the student experience. This was a dream come true for him."
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