If you haven’t explored the vast collection at Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) in a while, now’s the time for a visit—the museum announced Thursday that it acquired a handful of new works spanning several continents and centuries.
According to a press release, four of the new pieces are “firsts” for Mia, with new artists or types of objects entering the collection. “These acquisitions demonstrate Mia’s ongoing commitment to building a collection that bridges cultures, centuries, and artistic traditions,” said Katie Luber, Mia’s president and Nivin and Duncan MacMillan director, in a press release. “From exquisite examples of traditional Asian art to groundbreaking contemporary installations, each work adds new dimensions to our galleries and will enrich our visitors’ experiences.”
“Particularly exciting is how these acquisitions allow us to fill important gaps in our collection while simultaneously creating meaningful dialogues between historical and contemporary art,” Luber said.
Here’s a first look at the new pieces:
Ritual wine vessel zun, 11th–10th century BCE
Courtesy of Mia
This bronze vessel exemplifies the sophisticated metalworking traditions of the early Western Zhou period in China. While exceptional technical skill is evident, the vessel also stands out for its historical importance: The bottom interior is inscribed with six characters that translate to “Duke Bei X made this precious ritual zun vessel.” According to Mia’s press release, the vessel was used in elite wine ceremonies that helped establish Western Zhou political and religious authority, and has particular significance through its connection to Bei, a powerful regional ruler.
“Skeletons at Play” and “Skeletons as a Courtesan Procession” by Takeuchi Ryūa (Kokunimasa), c. 1900–1920
Courtesy of Mia
This pair of six-panel folding screens, created between 1900 and 1920 with ink, color, and gold pigment on silver-leafed paper, represent the artistic pinnacle of Japanese artist Takeuchi Ryūa’s career. In these works, Ryūa combines traditional Japanese artistic themes with macabre humor and Buddhist philosophy. Through these works, the artist creates a “powerful meditation on the Buddhist concept of impermanence while showcasing his technical virtuosity and artistic imagination.”
“Mountains over Lake Hallstatt” by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, 1840
Courtesy of Mia
Austrian writer and painter Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller took an approach to landscape painting that rejected Romantic emotionalism in favor of precise natural observation. Here, “the artist captures the first light of dawn transforming the Salzkammergut Mountains into a symphony of blues, pinks, and purples, while demonstrating his renowned attention to the effects of light and atmosphere.” This scene represents a pivotal moment in history, when Lake Hallstatt was only accessible by water before industrialization transformed the region. The work marks Mia’s first Austrian 19th-century landscape painting.
“A Norwegian river in winter” by Ludwig Skramstad, c. 1880
Courtesy of Mia
In this oil painting, Skramstad showcases his masterful ability to capture eastern Norway’s distinctive landscapes. Mia’s press releases notes that “this monumental canvas—notably larger than his acclaimed works in Oslo’s National Museum—demonstrates his characteristic attention to minute natural details, from crystalline ice formations to frost-covered branches.” Historians have even linked Skramstad’s distinctive technique to the rise of photography.
Columna Reticulárea by Gego, 1969
Courtesy of Mia
Gego is a German-Venezuelan artist who revolutionized spatial concepts in Latin American art. “Created as part of her groundbreaking Reticulárea series in 1969, this hanging wire sculpture demonstrates her innovative approach to three-dimensional space, where linear elements create dynamic, net-like structures that respond to viewer movement,” the press release notes. “The work embodies Gego’s transition from her early architectural training to her mature artistic practice, where she challenged traditional sculptural conventions by emphasizing openness, chance, and viewer interaction.”
This is the only such work by Gego to appear on the market in four decades, and it’s the first of Gego’s pieces in Mia’s collection.
HOLOS / Series X: No. VII (Shirt) by Jud Nelson, 1990
Courtesy of Mia
Believe it or not, this folded white dress shirt is actually a meticulously carved marble sculpture, crafted by renowned sculptor University of Minnesota alum Jud Nelson. This work is part of Nelson’s ongoing HOLOS series, which explores the relationship between ideal forms and illusionistic representation.
“As a significant example from Nelson’s mature period, this sculpture exemplifies his unique position as an heir both to Renaissance sculptural traditions and the provocative nature of Pop Art,” the press release notes. “The seemingly simple subject of a dress shirt becomes, in Nelson’s hands, a sophisticated meditation on materiality and meaning—elevating an everyday object to the realm of classical sculpture through his exacting technique.”
Their Land by Wendy Red Star, 2022
Courtesy of Mia
This work is a cartography-oriented installation by Wendy Red Star, an Apsáalooke/Crow artist and recently named MacArthur fellow. The piece uses 750 white flags—each representing a federally recognized, state-recognized, or self-identified Native tribe—to emphasize the persistent presence of Indigenous people across the United States, challenging conventional cartographic representations that have historically erased the presence of Native people from the American landscape.
“This work exemplifies Red Star’s sophisticated approach to addressing Indigenous erasure through conceptual art strategies, in which the artist transforms meticulous research into visually striking installation works that prompt vital discussions about Native sovereignty and presence,” the press release notes. “By literally flagging tribal locations on the map, Their Land creates a compelling counterpoint to colonial mapping traditions—while also inviting viewers to confront their assumptions about the active Indigenous presence in contemporary America.”
For more information on these acquisitions, visit Mia’s website.
