Dia Art Foundation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Dia Art Foundation, based in New York City, owns a leading collection of art from the 1960s and 1970s, including major works by Joseph Beuys, Dan Flavin, Richard Serra, Donald Judd, Agnes Martin, and Andy Warhol.

Heiner Friedrich and Philippa de Menil created the Foundation in 1974. The de Menil family had been important patrons of modern painting and Philippa sought to endow a foundation that would support emerging contemporary artists through the commissioning of new work.

Dia also supports several long term installations and projects throughout the United States. Major sites include Walter De Maria's Lightning Field (1977), near Quemado, New Mexico, and Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty (1970), Great Salt Lake, Utah. The Dia currently supports the ongoing development of James Turrell's "Roden Crater" project in the Painted Desert of Arizona, and Michael Heizer's City complex in eastern Nevada. Dia also supports Donald Judd's Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas.

In 1987 the Dia opened an exhibit space in a four story converted warehouse in Chelsea, Manhattan. The building features a stone block by Joseph Beuys and a roof top pavilion by Dan Graham. The curator is Lynne Cooke.

In 2003 the Dia Art Foundation opened the Dia:Beacon Riggio Galleries in a former Nabisco plant in Beacon, New York.

Members of the Board of Trustees include Leonard Riggio (former Chairman) and Pentti Kouri.