Natural Light

1971

Bruce Nauman American, born 1941

Not On View

Image Only Image + Details All Images High Resolution TIFF Metadata

About the Artwork

Please note: This section is empty
Markings

Please note: This section is empty

This section contains information about signatures, inscriptions and/or markings an object may have.
Provenance

Please note: This section is empty

Provenance is a record of an object's ownership. We are continually researching and updating this information to show a more accurate record and to ensure that this object was ethically and legally obtained.

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:
Exhibition History

Please note: This section is empty

The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.
Published References

Please note: This section is empty

We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.
Catalogue Raisonné

Please note: This section is empty

A catalogue raisonné is an annotated listing of artworks created by an artist across different media.
Credit Line for Reproduction

Please note: This section is empty

The credit line includes information about the object, such as the artist, title, date, and medium. Also listed is its ownership, the manner in which it was acquired, and its accession number. This information must be cited alongside the object whenever it is shown or reproduced.

About the Artwork

Title Natural Light

Artwork Date 1971

Artist Bruce Nauman

Life Dates born 1941

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Graphite and crayon on paper

Dimensions Overall: 18 × 24 inches (45.7 × 61 cm) Framed: 25 1/4 × 31 × 1 1/2 inches (64.1 × 78.7 × 3.8 cm)

Classification Drawings

Department Prints, Drawings & Photographs

Credit Gift of the Lila and Gilbert Silverman Collection

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2024.109.1

Markings

Signed Signed, lower right: B Nauman 71

Inscriptions Inscribed, in pencil, upper center: SKY LIGHT | HANGING WALL

Provenance

1979, sold by ( Ace Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

1979-2020, purchased by Gilbert B. Silverman [1925-2016] and Lila Silverman [1933-2020] (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA)

2020-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA), accessioned to the collection in 2024

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

Please note: This section is empty

The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

Suggest Feedback

Published References

Please note: This section is empty

We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

Suggest Feedback

Catalogue Raisoneé

Please note: This section is empty

Credit Line for Reproduction

Bruce Nauman, Natural Light, 1971, graphite and crayon on paper. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of the Lila and Gilbert Silverman Collection, 2024.109.1.