Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University

The Nasher Museum may not be very big and the «coolness» of their galleries really depends on what’s on special exhibit at the moment, but the space itself is brightly lit and beautiful. There have been some really really awesome and cool special exhibits that have come through here in the last 7+ years, so just check what they have on display beforehand. I also have been here for several special events and receptions, and it’s a wonderful space to host any event. Worth a visit, especially on the free nights or with a Duke discount.

First impression for an hour long visit: the Nasher Museum at Duke University was worth our time and the price of admission ($ 5). The staff is friendly and helpful, the facilities and grounds are clean and beautiful, and the museum is easily navigable, as the three main galleries pod (or pavilion) off from the central floor plan.
However, I was surprised that the Nasher has such a small antiquities collection, especially considering that Duke is known to have a firepower Classics program. I guess I expected that a rich antiquities collection might be a natural extension of the Classics Department. Not that there weren’t treasures in the collection, but for a name like Duke, which seems to have much vested in its prowess and exclusivity, I was underwhelmed. Maybe erroneously so… I’ve not seen other antiquities collections belonging to private universities before.
The other pieces in the permanent collection were very interesting. I loved the way the Navajo rugs and African Art were curated, and ambling through the permanent collection galleries was refreshing, with lots worth our time and observation. The collection is grouped by ancients, medieval European, post-​Renaissance European, American Art through 1945, and Moderns. There is much to see in the permanent collections.
We didn’t spend as much time in the visiting exhibits, but we did really enjoy some of the photographs. The sculptures in the foyer were a treat.
I would go back when in Durham again, just probably not exclusively for antiquities (as was my initial interest in this museum). This does seem to be a museum that would be best enjoyed as a local member, but even first time visitors will find delights within its walls.

The Nasher Museum is much smaller then your typical art museum, but it’s a «university» museum and one of the only art museums we have in Durham. The space houses two rooms with two different exhibits coming and going about every three months. I recently became a member of the museum, and honestly, I think this museum is more for locals then tourists. As a member, you can truly take advantage of the weekly tours, movie and book club nights and their Thursday «adult only» nights. Although, I should point out that on Thursday nights, the museum is open to the community from 5−9pm for free. The tours TRULY enhance the experience, I most recently took a slow art tour where you examine one piece of art for an hour and your perspective is truly changes. The tour guides are knowledgeable and truly help inspire ideas from the patrons.
As a member, you receive invitations to special exhibits and member only nights, which are truly fantastic. They have these special nights every time there’s a new exhibit. During the Colour Correction exhibit, they invited members to create their own screen print. It is truly a special community of members and one that I hope to be apart of for a long time. The downsides of the museum are that it is small, so once you’ve seen the artwork, you might seem disappointed that you’ve seen it so fast. But you’ve got to look at this on the positive side and realize that since it is a small space, you can spend that much more time examining and truly seeing the art. An actual downside is that you have to pay for parking, $ 2/​hour. Pro-​tip: if you’re going on Thursday night, park in the Duke Business parking lot across the street [corner of Campus Drive and Anderson], you don’t have to have a permit after 5pm.

What a waste of money. The museum is pretty small, with very limited galleries. The collections (Miro and Rauschenberg) are not impressive at all — unless you enjoy paying money to look at a completely blank/​painted white/​canvases, all 7 of them; or, conversely, completely black painted canvases. Save your money and time and go elsewhere. Also, parking is a nuisance. And they are understaffed at the front desk (but quite nice and polite). They do have military and duke discounts (50% off) but even paying half the price felt like too much for what they had on display.

Not only is the Nasher an engaging art museum accesible to the Duke student community, it often hosts a variety of interesting exhibits which provides a launching point into bridging the gap between art and academia. One of my French classes at Duke included a visit to the Nasher to find and analyze a French impressionist painting which I thought was great fun and a fascinating spin on learning about French culture.
There are two main wings to the museum, one of which hosts the permanent exhibits including Greek artifacts, a Picasso or two, landscapes and a modern art section, but my personal favorites were the visiting exhibits which included the Matisse and the Shangri La Islamic art exhibition.
Students and faculty get in free, otherwise barring the case of special events there is a $ 4 ticket cost. In addition, because you cannot take pictures of or bring bags into the exhibits, lockers are provided. There are audio guidebooks provided at the front desk as well as daily tours beginning at 2 pm.
Other fun events for students include the annual night at the Nasher, Family day (great for kids), and some semesterly events (eg Christmas) for which there are live music performances by student acapella groups, fun artistic events (eg designing a tote bag), photo boothes, catered food and gelato sampling. The Nasher Café is also worth checking out if you have time and money to spare, though the giftshop is always a bit too pricey for me.

LOVE the Nasher. My mom and I always head over when they have an exhibit we’re interested in, and we always have a great time (and a great lunch.) The building itself is gorgeous, light and airy. The exhibit spaces are well organized, and never so jam-​packed that I can’t enjoy the experience.
My favorite part about the Nasher, I must confess, is the café. They always have an interesting menu with great selections for lunch, and a thoughtful wine list. I would go there for lunch even if I wasn’t going to an exhibit, even if it is at Duke.

Excellent art museum that is family friendly and affordable. As other reviewers mentioned, they have a lot of different events so it’s good to check what’s going on before your visit. I found the museum to be designed extremely well given it’s limited space; the exhibits felt spacious and although I visited on a «free admission» day, it was not crowded. This is all helped of course by it’s limited space but if you’re a local you’ll be more than satisfied with their rotating exhibits and if you’re a visitor, chances are there will be at least one exhibit you find intriguing.
I did not eat at the café.

how could I have not written a review on this place. Maybe I wrote about the café? Or maybe they took down my review… hmmm anyhow, this isn’t an extensive museum, but just enough space to show some interesting stuff. I made the mistake of coming when they were in the process of installing a new exhibit that wouldn’t open up until a couple days later– so I missed a significant portion of the museum. The more permanent collection (to the left upon entry) has a mishmash of very modern street art to ancient Greek artifacts. The Eliasson exhibit was interesting– it was interactive– one you could walk through and take pictures of others’ shadows walking through. Large glass spiral disks hanging in front of huge projection lights.
Often they have a good artsy movie playing in the theatre on Thurs nights. That’s worth checking out too.

We were thrilled to have our wedding at the Nasher Musuem of Art, during the exciting Alexander Calder Exhibit. Our point person, Kathy, was super flexible with us when were were trying to select a date, and gave us a tour of the reception area. The Nasher is a modern museum that you can adapt to fit your needs. We knew that we were expecting between 120 – 220 guests, given that our wedding was a destination for our relatives. We had our day of coordinator meet with Kathy to make sure everything went smoothly, and it certainly did! My only qualms that we were not allowed to have candles, and the acoustics are tricky. We had to use a caterer that they work with often, and luckily we selected the great Durham Catering Company. Everything for our wedding went off without a hitch and we’re so thrilled that we were able to celebrate in such a unique and memorable place.

I took my little guy to the Nasher today to see the Alexander Calder exhibit. I’ve been to the Nasher a hand full of times. They have a tiny, but decent permanent collection which includes Picasso, Bearden and Radcliffe Bailey. They’ve had some good shows pass through and currently it’s Calder.
The thing that is frustrating about the Nasher is that you have to pay to park, then it is $ 5 for adults to get in, plus another $ 5 for the special exhibit. It seems like a lot when I’m used to the free admission at the NC Museum in Raleigh, which is also has a ton more to offer, and at the Ackland in Chapel Hill. I’m sorry, but you just can’t beat free! I’m all about supporting the arts, but please give me more for my money. Also, there is not a convenient ramp up to the museum from the parking lot, at least not one that was immediately evident to me. I hope that this was just an oversight I my part… I’m sure it was. Overall, the Nasher is fine, but far from my fave museum around town. Too much money for too little of an experience. The Calder exhibit was pretty good, though, so even after this mostly negative rant, I would still recommend checking it out.

With a few hours to kill, and wanting to do something besides sit in a café or bar, I opted to drive over to Duke University and check out the Nasher Museum of Art. As it turns out, this is easily the best $ 5 I spent the whole time I was in Durham. A big, bright facility that has 4 or 5 seperate rooms for exhibitions, I got to see everything from Picasso and Calder, to artifacts from 2300 years ago, and all points in between and beyond. For students, faculty, and alumni, it’s free, and for all other adults, it’s a mere $ 5. Go.

The Nasher Museum of Art, situated on the campus of Duke University, is a nice art museum. They have a variety of exhibits, and a café. While I’ll save my café review for the café listing, I will mention that they also have fun night events on Thursdays, like Art Scrabble the first Thursday of the month (I lost a lot :(, but it was fun all the same, and we came out with weird German art sudoku that had a blue hippo on it).
The art in the museum is also quite interesting. The highlight seemed to be the traveling section (jazz photography, which has left the Nasher by this point) as well as the antiquities, which were quite fascinating (depictions of Jesus/​Greek dudes, pots, etc.) The contemporary collection was interesting: a combination of good urban art and other interesting pieces with some that were, well, weird (naked German people or something… basically, heed the words on the sign that say that some of the art is not for certain audiences).
There was also a nice MA project up of Soviet propaganda posters about women, and that was cool too.
So the Nasher is a good pick for those people who like museums and want to check out something smaller and intimate in that regard.

Needing my creative fix, I had long planned on visiting the Nasher while I was home. I stopped over one afternoon as I’ve been wanting to see the Jazz Loft Project by W. Eugene Smith. If you are a jazz lover or a lover of photography, then I would suggest seeing this exhibit before it’s gone.
What I like about the Nasher is that though it seems smaller for an art museum, it is actually a perfect fit for the city of Durham. The layout is simple and perfect with lots of natural lighting throughout the lobby. You cannot get lost here. It would be a shame to not take advantage of the exhibits and the $ 5 admission. Not to mention free admission on Thursdays after 5pm, when the museum is open the latest during the week until 9pm. There is a cost to park, depending on the number of hours you plan to spend. $ 2 an hour.
The Nasher doesnt allow backpacks or bookbags inside, but there is a locker room to keep your belongings in. It costs .25 for a locker and dont worry penny pinchers, you get your quarter back when you return the key to your locker.
The museum store is tiny, but full of lots of material, the downside is that I didnt see any items for sale about the museum itself, I would’ve liked a souvenir. The Nasher is definitely a crown jewel for the city as well as the university in the art world.

I really enjoy visiting the museum. The recent exhibit of the World War I era artists entitle The Vorticists: Rebel Artists in London and New York, 1914 – 18 was educational and thought provoking.
The photography and recorded sounds of THE JAZZ LOFT PROJECT: W. EUGENE SMITH IN NEW YORK CITY, 1957 – 1965 took me back in time and was very enjoyable too.
I’m looking forward to my next visit.

This is a museum I fell in love at the first sight. Most of the best works from this architect are in urban area, but this small museum hidden in the woody Duke campus rocks as well. The whole building is just very quite, in low profile, simple, fresh… all go along well with the loud sunlight in North Carolina.
The whole building is sort of star shaped — a lobby in the center, with three galleries + auditorium + office area around. The spacious lobby with bright skylights invites and relaxes people. When we were there, there were two on-​going exhibitions which are excellent. The permanent one is a bit too small considering the fact that there are more than 13 000 pieces in collection of this museum.
This museum is great, but I feel like it doesn’t take good advantage of locating at Duke, not Harvard or Columbia — Space, Space, Space! I wish the galleries could be even larger.

A beautiful space that’s divided into three galleries — unfortunately, one of them was closed the evening I visited (and I’m told it has been for months). So I only got to enjoy two exhibits; but they have pieces ranging from Greek and Roman antiquities to modern bold mosaic paintings. And the sculptural pieces Oliver C mentioned (by Ron Mueck and Petah Coyne) are most impressive. Erin W, Susan Z and I may have enjoyed (too much?) the make-​your-​own-​art with magnets and colored pencils corner. The lobby is large and they have an auditorium — would make a marvelous event venue.
I second Cristina K in voting this as a great date spot. Eat at the café, tour the museum and pay a visit to Duke Gardens all in the same vicinity. Thursday Nights are in fact «date night» at the Nasher… meaning you can take a peek for free. Otherwise, there’s a nominal fee for entry.

It’s decent museum, but fairly empty (pretty barren looking art-​wise). I’ve been twice, but only during the Warhol special exhibit. I’m not a big fan (don’t stone me!), so I didn’t find it that interesting. The more permanent exhibits were not much more engaging.
Overall, I think they underutilize the space, but if you really like art, you might as well check it out.

I didn’t actually go inside the Museum, but I did eat at the café so…
The food was thoughtfully done. The café really exhibits artistic touches from the museum. All the silverware, plating, etc. were consciously chosen to fit together in a artsy-​rustic way. Charming. I ordered the prix fixe menu. They serve food in really ample portions — I probably would have been sated by the salad alone, but every bite of my entrée was delicious. I got grouper with root vegs and brussel sprouts with «lardons» (bacon). Everything was really flavorful and rich. By the time dessert arrived, we were all a bit full, so we got it to-​go. Come with a big appetite because you’ll definitely be full when you leave.
Overall, it’s a bit pricy, but the food is fresh, local, well-​prepared, and generously served in a beautiful, relaxing environment. It’d be worth taking a date out here.

Small museum on the Duke campus that has three exhibits. Duke students get in for free. Non-​student visitors pay $ 5. The normal collection is made up of mostly religious art. Currently (March, 2009), there is a Mexican «new generation» of art exhibit, but I wasn’t a big fan of the weird contemporary art. The third exhibit, A Room of Their Own — The Bloomsbury Artists in American Collections, was my favorite since I prefer paintings.
It’s a nice place to stop by if you have an hour or two in the middle of the day.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from such a small museum, especially as I’ve been burned by the freaking MOCA at the Pacific Design Center. Fortunately, Nasher contains a fair amount of interesting works ranging from the modern, exemplified by a large Mark Rothko painting visible from the central area, to Greek and Roman antiquities. There is also an extremely realistic giant head. I forgot the artist’s name, but I’ve been seeing these on blogs and was mightily impressed to actually see one in the flesh (… wax?).
The café serves food that looks good on the menu, but doesn’t necessarily turn out as expected. My crème brûlée with cinnamon was profoundly burnt because the cinnamon was embedded in the sugar rather than in the custardy part. Also, whoever thought of putting cornbread in a turkey sandwich should be shot. Repeatedly.
The biggest downside of Nasher is it’s size. You can go through it in an hour or less. Nevertheless, it’s still interesting to check out if you are in the area and have time. It blows the pants off of most university art museums for sure!