Through the Eyes of Texas
dal 23/2/2013 al 18/5/2013
Segnalato da
23/2/2013
Through the Eyes of Texas
Blanton Museum of Art, Austin
Masterworks from Alumni Collections. An exhibition of over 150 extraordinary objects from the art collections of UT Austin alumni across the country. The show includes ancient Mayan vessels, tribal masks, Chinese jade, Renaissance paintings, Old Master prints, drawings, showcased alongside modern and contemporary works by major artists such as Claude Monet, Georgia O'Keeffe, Ed Ruscha, Vija Celmins and Kehinde Wiley.
The Blanton Museum of Art at The University of
Texas at Austin presents Through the Eyes of Texas: Masterworks from Alumni
Collections, an exhibition of over 150 extraordinary objects from the art
collections of UT Austin alumni across the country. Marking the occasion of the
Blanton’s fiftieth anniversary, this special survey will include ancient Mayan
vessels, tribal masks, Chinese jade, Renaissance paintings, and Old Master prints
and drawings, showcased alongside modern and contemporary works by major artists
such as Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe, Ed Ruscha, Vija Celmins and Kehinde Wiley.
Through the Eyes of Texas will tell the fascinating stories of these objects and
their owners, as well as provide unique learning opportunities and a chance for
visitors to experience significant works that span the history of art.
“We are at one of the most exciting points in our 50-year history,” states Blanton
director Simone Wicha. “This exhibition gives us an opportunity to highlight the
important leadership role that University of Texas alumni play in our cultural
landscape. What starts here truly does change the world. We are pleased to share
these significant works with our audience and are grateful to the many collectors
who made this presentation possible.”
The unique nature of the exhibition enables the Blanton to display works outside the
scope of its permanent collection — art and artifacts not normally on view in
Austin. Among them are an Egyptian lion-headed goddess from 664-30 BC, an ancient
Chinese urn from the Liao Dynasty, and an eccentric Mayan flint from the late
Classic period. This grouping, along with a selection of tribal masks loaned to the
museum from several private collections, marks the Blanton’s first major
presentation of ethnographic objects. Other highlights include costume designs for
the Ballets Russes, a 1916-19 Nympheas (Water Lilies) by Claude Monet, and a Robert
Rauschenberg “Jammer” from 1975.
Spanning many periods, media, and genres, the works in the exhibition allow viewers
to make creative connections, explains exhibition curator, Annette DiMeo Carlozzi. A
second-century Roman bust of a goddess, for example, will be paired with a landmark
work of contemporary art, Janine Antoni’s Lick and Lather, which features unusual
portrait busts made of chocolate and soap. Sculptor Petah Coyne’s Daphne provides a
contemporary counterpart to Alfred Maurer’s Woman in a Black Dress. And the dense
detail of large-scale photographs of Brazilian and Japanese jungles and forests by
Thomas Struth conjures a different manner of seeing than the precise clarity of
Henri Rousseau’s Exotic Landscape with Tiger and Hunters.
Through the Eyes of Texas also explores the stories behind the objects and the lives
of the collectors who, after leaving The University of Texas, have gone on to
significantly impact the art world here and abroad. Among the lenders to the
exhibition are UT alumni Jeanne and Michael Klein of Austin, Mary Winton Green of
Chicago, Judy and Charles Tate of Houston, Cindy and Howard Rachofsky of Dallas, and
Darren Walker and David Beitzel of New York. They—and the many others who have
graciously shared their collections— support artists, strengthen arts advocacy and
scholarship, and steward important collections that, in many cases, will ultimately
be gifted to cultural institutions across the county. Several collectors’ voices
will be heard through an audio-guide created for the exhibition, as will UT students
and faculty responding to their experiences of this unprecedented assembly of works.
An illustrated catalogue will accompany the show.
Through the Eyes of Texas: Masterworks from Alumni Collections is organized by the
Blanton Museum of Art.
Generous funding for the exhibition is provided by Cornelia and Meredith Long and
The Eugene McDermott Foundation, with additional support from Mr. and Mrs. Jack S.
Blanton, Sr., Judy and Charles Tate, and John Schweitzer.
The Blanton Museum of Art
Founded in 1963, the Blanton Museum of Art is one of the foremost university art
museums in the country and holds the largest public collection in Central Texas. The
Blanton is especially recognized for its modern and contemporary American and Latin
American art, Italian Renaissance and baroque paintings, and encyclopedic collection
of prints and drawings.
For more information or high resolution images, contact:
Kathleen Brady Stimpert, 512-475-6784 or Kathleen.bradystimpert@blantonmuseum.org
Samantha Youngblood, 512-232-5171 or Samantha.youngblood@blantonmuseum.org
Opening 24 february
Blanton Museum of Art
The University of Texas at Austin
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at Congress Avenue
(200 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) - Austin, Texas 78701
Hours:
Monday Closed
Tuesday 10 AM – 5 PM
Wednesday 10 AM – 5 PM
Thursday 10 AM – 5 PM
(Third Thursdays open until 9 PM. Admission is FREE every Thursday.)
Friday 10 AM – 5 PM
Saturday 11 AM – 5 PM
Sunday 1 – 5 PM
Admission:
Current UT faculty/students/staff Free
Blanton Members Free
Adults $9
Seniors (65+) $7
College students with valid ID $5
Youth (13 - 21) $5
Children 12 & under Free