MIAMI, FLA.- The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami has added more than 75 works to its collection in 2020, representing a wide range of artists that represent the defining voices of contemporary art and its future. Supported by major gifts from the Miami community and nationwide, ICA Miami’s recent acquisitions include work by established and emerging artists, including new commissions for the collection and artists’ first U.S. museum acquisitions. The museum has also launched and expanded its commitments to focused acquisitions initiatives that support the ongoing advancement of representation of the global and local communities within the collection, anchored by a commitment of 75% of its annual acquisition budget to work by artists of color.

Major recent acquisitions include works by María Berrío, Tomás Esson, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Lauren Halsey, Lyle Ashton Harris, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Solange Pessoa, Eric-Paul Riege, Cameron Rowland, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Martine Syms, and Diamond Stingily. Works by Stefanie Heinze, Robert Nava, and Genesis Tramaine, as well as commissions by Chase Hall and Tau Lewis, mark the first U.S. museum acquisitions for each artist.

These acquisitions have been made possible through major gifts from Miami-based collectors, including Mickey Beyer, Amy Dean, Cristina Delgado and Stephen Olsen, the Ezratti Family, the Eric Fishman Collection, Manuel E. Gonzalez, Barbara Z. Herzberg, Peter Menéndez, Edward and Helen Nicoll, the Simkins Family, Debi and Jeff Wechsler, the Witkoff Family, and Ray Ellen Yarkin. ICA Miami has also received generous support from patrons across the country, including John Auerbach and Ed Tang, the Buddy Taub Foundation, Phillips, Andre Sakhai, Jamie and Andrew Schwartzberg, Andy Song, and Clarice O. Tavares. Additionally, the museum’s recent acquisitions include a large, anonymous donation of 40 works from a New York-based private collection.

In tandem with these major additions to its collection, the museum recently reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the diversity in its holdings with a commitment of 75% of ICA Miami’s annual acquisitions budget allocated for works by artists of color. ICA Miami also continues to pursue greater representation of LGBTQIA+ artists in its collection. In 2019, the museum launched a new membership program, Culture Club, which is the first affinity group for LGBTQIA+ supporters in a U.S. museum. Through this initiative, in 2020, the museum has acquired works by Mark Bradford, Mark Flood, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Lyle Ashton Harris, Karl Holmqvist, Elle Pérez, Jack Pierson, Lari Pittman, Borna Sammak, and Paul Mpagi Sepuya. Miami-based artists continue to be well-represented in ICA Miami’s curatorial program and the museum continues to expand its collection in this area, with new works by Tomás Esson, Harmony Korine, and Naomi Fisher. These initiatives build on the museum’s broad and inclusive approach to exhibitions and programs, the majority of which are devoted to spotlighting minority artists and voices.

“ICA Miami’s collection represents contemporary art today and also gazes to its future—driving the national conversation about contemporary art and working to reflect a wide spectrum of narratives and issues,” said ICA Miami Artistic Director Alex Gartenfeld. “We are thrilled to expand the collection with these key works and to commit to deliberate steps to increasing the diversity and inclusiveness of our collection, thanks to the vision and support of our donors. We can’t wait to share the perspectives of these artists with the public through future exhibitions and look forward to the dialogue they will generate among our audiences.”

Highlights among ICA Miami’s recent acquisitions include:




•María Berrío, The Petition, 2020. Bronze with patina. Body: 11 x 86 x 34 in; Birds: 21 x 10 x 38 in, 25 x 11 x 22 in, 31 x 12 x 33 in. Museum purchase with funds provided by Andre Sakhai.

• Lauren Halsey, Untitled, 2020. Hand-carved gypsum on wood. 95 x 47 3/4 x 3 in. Museum purchase with funds provided by Barbara Z. Herzberg.

• Harmony Korine, Starburst, 2014. Ink and acrylic on canvas. 67 x 41 in. Anonymous gift.

• Toyin Ojih Odutola, Bardo, 2019. Pastel, charcoal and chalk on board. 60 x 40 in. Gift of Andre Sakhai.
• Solange Pessoa, Untitled, 2016. Oil on canvas. 82 5/8 x 76 in. Museum purchase.

• Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Darkroom Mirror (0X5A1802), 2017. Archival pigment print. 51 x 34 in. Museum purchase with funds provided by Helen Kent-Nicoll and Edward J. Nicoll.

• Frances Stark, Bobby Jesus’s Alma Mater, passage from a movement therein: La Puta Madre, 2014. Acrylic paint on inkjet print on plastic woven with fiber. 66 x 42 in. Gift of John Auerbach and Ed Tang.

• Diamond Stingily, Entryways, 2019. Door with bat, hardware. 80 x 36 x 40 in. Museum purchase, with additional support from Ray Ellen and Allan Yarkin in honor of Rhalda Prystowsky.

• Martine Syms, Intro to Threat Modeling, 2018. Digital video (color, sound). 4:32 minutes. Museum purchase.