NEWS & EVENTS

Marcel Duchamp, “Rotorelief No. 5 – Poisson Japonais” (recto) gif (via Wikimedia Commons)

A Collection of Experimental Kinetic Art, Featuring Marcel Duchamp and Jenny Holzer

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Virtually Wise, Nam June Paik

Butler Acquires Major $3.4M Collection of Modern Art

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The Butler Institute of American Art has received a landmark collection of experimental 20th century art.

The 98-piece collection of kinetic art pieces, valued at $3.4 million, was given to The Butler by the David W. Bermant Foundation of Santa Barbara, Calif.

All of the pieces are untraditional, and were collected by the late David W. Bermant, a New York native who was a successful shopping center developer on the East and West coats. Bermant died in 2000 in Santa Barbara, where he lived part-time, at age 80.

Wednesday, January 6, 2021 by Guy D’Astolfo

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January 8, 2021, Youngstown, OH – The Butler Institute of American Art is excited to announce it has received a belated 100th birthday present from a California foundation. The David Bermant Foundation of Santa Barbara California has gifted the Butler Institute one of the premier collections of Kinetic art in America. The collection of 98 works valued at several million dollars includes pieces created by many of the pioneers of technologically based art such as Marcel Duchamp, Nam June Paik, Jenny Holzer, Jean Tinguely, Pol Bury, George Rhoads, John Deandria, James Seawright, and dozens more.

Butler director, Dr. Louis Zona stated that “the addition of the Bermant collection further enriches the Butler’s holdings of contemporary art. We express our gratitude to the Bermant Foundation for their generosity and vision in placing this extraordinary art collection with the Butler Institute of American Art.”

David Bermant was one of the most admired collectors of avant-garde art in the United States. His collection of