Grant Hill never took art history while he was a student at Duke. He was a little busy: He played on two, back-to-back basketball championship teams, he was named the nation's top defensive player and in his senior year he was a first team All-America player.
But studying African-American history as an undergraduate was part of what led him to create his collection of African-American Old Masters, he said in a telephone interview.
"I was a history major and was always fascinated by African-American history," Hill said. "I always looked at collecting as an extension of that.
"History is all interpretation, and a lot of times these pieces of work are snapshots of what the artist sees or interprets at a particular time in their lives. It's just fascinating to me, and it reminds me of stories my parent, my grandparents and even my great-grandparents shared with me."
Hill will share his collection with a show at Duke's Nasher Museum of Art from March 4 to July 16. The exhibit, "Something All Our Own: The Grant Hill Collection of African American Art," includes 46 paintings, collages, sculptures and works on paper by the most important African-American artists of the 20th century. The exhibition includes collages, prints, sculptures and paintings by Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett and John Biggers. It is the final stop on a national tour.
Hill said he's looking forward to returning to Duke for the exhibition. He'll be at an invitation-only party March 7 for Duke alumni and Nasher Museum members.
"In a sense it's like coming home. For me, it's extremely special to have this passion of mine and to be able to share that with the community there at Duke," said Hill, a six-time NBA All-Star now playing with the Orlando Magic. He and his wife, singer Tamia Hill, collected the works over a nine-year period.
"I'm proud of a lot of the things that I've been fortunate enough to accomplish since I left Duke, but that is right up there with them."
Hill's collecting career began while he was a student: He went to the old South Square Mall and bought a print called "Fast Break" by Durham native and athlete Ernie Barnes.
"I was proud --" and I'm still proud --" of my first piece," he said.
He did have a bit of a head start, however. His father, former Dallas Cowboy running back Calvin Hill, and mother Janet Hill, also are art collectors.
When he was growing up, Hill and his father would take trips to the Final Four each year, and his dad would take him along to museums and galleries as well.
"It's all about exposure," he said. "We not only had pieces displayed in our house, but we visited galleries, visited museums--¦that exposure evidently meant something."
He said he hopes his collection will give some Duke students that exposure as well.
"Maybe it will draw some students on campus who wouldn't normally go to a museum," he said. "I understand it's not for everybody, but I would encourage them, not just with my exhibit, to go over to the museum. When you really take a look and start analyzing, it's amazing."