Alex Nyerges

Alex Nyerges (born 1957) was named director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2006, becoming the museum's eighth person to fill that post.[1][2] He was also director and CEO at the Dayton Art Institute from 1992 to 2006, as well as the executive director of the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Mississippi and the DeLand Museum of Art in Deland, Florida. Nyerges is active as a photographer, curator, author, and photo historian,[3] and his photography has been exhibited in the United States and abroad.[4][5][6][7][8]

Early life and education

Nyerges was born Alexander Lee Nyerges in Rochester, New York in 1957.[4] He attended George Washington University, where he earned an undergraduate degree with a double major in anthropology and archaeology and a master's degree in museum studies.[9]

Career

Nyerges began his career wanting to be an archeologist,[10] and his work as a photographer followed his interest in archaeology.[7]

He was the executive director of the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Mississippi and the DeLand Museum of Art in Florida. In 1992, he became the director and CEO of Dayton Art Institute, a position he held until 2006.[9]

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts - entrance Fall 2010

Nyerges was appointed the director of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in 2006.[11] At the beginning of his newly acquired post, extensive renovations were made to the VMFA, and he oversaw the construction which was completed in 2010.[12]

He has organized a number of notable exhibitions as director, such as the Picasso exhibition in 2010 that broke all previous attendance records for the VMFA and brought in an estimated 30 million dollars in local tourist revenue for the museum.[13] In 2012 a major gift to the museum was acquired, elevating the museum into the top ranks of major American museum.[14][15]

Other major exhibitions include a major retrospective on Kehinde Wiley, Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, accompanied by a lecture by the artist at the museum.[16] In 2018, the Terracotta Army archaeological exhibition featuring clay sculpture life-size portraits from the reign of the first Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang was held at the VMFA, curated by the museum's Asian specialist Li Jian.[17][18][19]

Nyerges has improved accessibility to the museum and its collections, an effort emphasized in the museum's motto, "It's your art, Virginia." Nyerges was honored in 2015 as a top-10 Person of the Year by the Richmond Times-Dispatch for increasing the popularity and accessibility of the museum.[20] In 2017, Style Magazine placed Nyerges on the "2017 Power List for Arts and Culture" for increasing the diversity of its collection and staff, and overseeing an improved public perception of the museum.[21]

Personal life

Nyerges' wife, Kathryn Gray, a former musician and performing arts manager, is an artist who maintains a studio at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. They have a son, Robert Nyerges, who is a filmmaker in Los Angeles.[22]

The French Ministry of Culture awarded Alex Nyerges the title "Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters" (Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres) for his contributions to French and American culture.[23]

References
  1. "Alexander Nyerges To Be New VMFA Director". artdaily.com. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  2. "Alex Nyerges, Director - VMFA". www.vmfa.museum. 30 December 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  3. "Edward Weston - A Photographer's Love of Life: An Essay by Alex Nyerges". Weston Photography: Four Generations of Photographic Excellence. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  4. "Alex Nyerges". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  5. "Art Gallery: 'Chasing the Light II' by Alex Nyerges opening at glave kocen gallery". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  6. Frostick, Dana. "artspacegallery.org". www.artspacegallery.org. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  7. "The 'Chasing the Light' Exhibit will feature the largest collection of Alex Nyerges' photography". WTVR.com. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  8. "Alex Nyerges: Chasing the Light II". Frank Mercado Photography. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  9. "Alex Nyerges, Director - VMFA". www.vmfa.museum. 30 December 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  10. Adams, Amanda Dalla Villa. "Buried Over Two Millennia Ago, China's Terracotta Soldiers Come to VMFA". Style Weekly. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  11. "For Virginia Museum Director, Life Is Rarely Still". NPR.org. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  12. "Alex Nyerges - Yahoo Video Search Results". video.search.yahoo.com. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  13. "The 2011 Power List 43. Alex Nyerges". Style Weekly. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  14. Dobrzynski, Judith H. "Museum Haves and Have-Nots: How Acquisitions Funds Burnish Reputations". Judith H. Dobrzynski. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  15. Dobrzynski, Judith H. (14 March 2012). "A Fund for Buying Art Burnishes Collections and Reputations". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  16. Harrison, Don (11 June 2016). "Economy of Grace". richmondmagazine.com. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  17. "FIRST LOOK: 'Terracotta Army' exhibition at VMFA". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  18. Erickson, Mark St. John. "Terra-cotta army from China's ancient past comes to VMFA". dailypress.com. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  19. "Exhibit explores the history of China's first emperor". The Seattle Times. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  20. Times-Dispatch, KATHERINE CALOS Richmond. "2015 Top 10 honoree Alex Nyerges: VMFA director blends arts and accessibility". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  21. Baldwin, Brent. "The 2017 Richmond Power List: Arts & Culture". Style Weekly. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  22. Times-Dispatch, KATHERINE CALOS Richmond. "2015 Top 10 honoree Alex Nyerges: VMFA director blends arts and accessibility". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  23. "Alex Nyerges receives Award | FRAME". www.framemuseums.org. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
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