Pinakothek der Moderne, Nicholas Nixon, The Brown Sisters, 1975-2020, Installation view
Pinakothek der Moderne
Acquisition of Nicholas Nixon's Long-Term Project The Brown Sisters
Thanks to the generous support of the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung, the Pinakothek der Moderne was able to acquire an important work for its photography collection in 2018: Nicholas Nixon's famous series The Brown Sisters. As part of his iconic long-term project, the U.S. photographer has taken a portrait of his wife and her three sisters every year since 1975. Over a period of more than 45 years, this has created a singular body of work that expresses both the essence of photography and bears witness to transience and contemporary events.
The series, which at the time consisted of 44 photographs, had long been on the wish list of Dr. Inka Graeve Ingelmann, then head of the Photography and New Media Collection. To make the purchase possible, the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung assumed the entire cost of the acquisition. The photographs created in the following two years, 2019 and 2020, were also acquired for the collection thanks to the foundation’s support. In 2021, the meanwhile 46 portraits of the series were exhibited at the Pinakothek der Moderne and were thus for the first time all on display together in one museum.
“We are aware that public museums are hardly able to purchase significant works for their collection without private support. Outstanding works, however, are essential for the expansion of an internationally renowned collection, the reputation of the respective museum, and for the city of Munich and the Free State of Bavaria. They serve as cultural ambassadors.” Dr. Eva-Maria Fahrner-Tutsek, Chairwoman, Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung
