Hotel Texas: An Art Exhibition for the President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy

A black-and-white photograph of President John F. Kennedy speaking at a podium in front of a brick building.
October 12, 2013–January 12, 2014
Second floor

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Carter exhibited the works of art installed in the president’s suite at the Hotel Texas during his fateful trip in 1963. The original installation, orchestrated by former Carter Board President Ruth Carter Stevenson and a small group of Fort Worth art collectors, was created especially for the president and first lady in celebration of their overnight visit and included paintings by Thomas Eakins, Lyonel Feininger, Marsden Hartley, and Franz Kline, and sculptures by Henry Moore and Pablo Picasso, among others.

The exhibition reunited for the first time the paintings, sculptures, and works on paper, highlighting the diverse and thoughtful installation of artworks brought together for the presidential couple. Hotel Texas will also reveal the complete story of the presidential suite 850 installation, which until now, was overshadowed by the president’s tragic death, and examine the significance of art both to the Kennedys and to the Dallas–Fort Worth communities. It will bring to light related materials, most of which have remained in private collections since 1963, including photographs of the suite prior to the couple’s arrival and documentation relating to the president’s assassination.

President Kennedy speaks to the crowd, 1963

A black-and-white photograph of President John F. Kennedy speaking at a podium in front of a brick building.

Charles M. Russell

Lost in a Snowstorm -- We Are Friends, 1888

Oil on canvas

1961.144

An oil painting of a group of Indigenous people on horseback approaching cowboys on horseback in a snowstorm.

President and Mrs. Kennedy disembark Air Force One, 1963

A black-and-white photograph of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy descending the stairs from an airplane as people on the tarmac wait to greet them.

Thomas Eakins

Swimming, 1885

Oil on canvas

1990.19.1

An oil painting of a group of nude young men diving off of rocks into a calm body of water.

Living Area, Suite 850, Hotel Texas, 1963

A black-and-white photograph of a corner seating area in a hotel room showing three paintings hanging on the wall between windows.

Morris Graves

Spirit Bird, ca. 1956

Tempura on paper

An abstract painting of a blue bird in the center of a white oval surrounded by pink and yellow swirls of color.

Second (smaller) Bedroom, Suite 850, Hotel Texas, 1963

A black-and-white photograph of a hotel room showing a painting above the bed and another painting hanging above a side table.

Eros Pellini

A Girl from Lombardia, 1958-59

Bronze

A bronze sculpture of a nude woman standing with her weight on her right leg and her left leg somewhat extended.

Ruth Carter Johnson and Lucile Weiner with *Angry Owl* by Pablo Picasso, 1963

A black-and-white photograph of two White women kneeling next to the open passenger door of a car placing a seatbelt on a sculpture of an owl.

Watch a five-minute video about the Kennedys' trip to Texas, narrated by Fort Worth native Bob Schieffer. Produced by The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

Installation Photos

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In the Press

"'Hotel Texas' Kennedy Show at the Amon Carter Reviewed"

The Wall Street Journal

November 19, 2013

All Exhibitions

Hotel Texas: An Art Exhibition for the President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy was organized by the Dallas Museum of Art in association with the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. The Fort Worth presentation is supported in part by generous contributions in memory of Ruth Carter Stevenson from Shirlee J. and Taylor Gandy and Bob and Patricia Schieffer; and by Kathryn and Morris Matson in honor of Gwendolyn Weiner and Scott Grant Barker. Prior to the presentation at the Carter, the exhibition was on view at the DMA from May 26–September 15, 2013.