Fort Worth, TX, June 14, 2002—Eye Contact: Modern American Portrait Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery highlights the summer schedule at the Amon Carter Museum. A special film series and a lecture series accompany this exhibition. The much-anticipated special exhibition, Celebrating America: Masterworks from Texas Collections, organized by the Carter, opens on September 14.

The Carter is also offering a special youth program, Fables, Fibs and Frontiers, featuring storyteller Finley Stewart, during two weeks in July.

Exhibitions from the Permanent Collection

The Artist and the American West: The Great Basin

Through October 6, 2002
This new installation in the Carter’s mezzanine galleries chronicles the visual history of the Great Basin, a high desert region of some 220,000 square miles that includes portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah. The name was first used by the explorer John C. Fremont in 1843–44. The exhibition will feature a number of notable images, from the earliest views by explorer artists to provocative and stunning prints by contemporary photographers.

Revealed Treasures: Prints from the Permanent Collection

Through August 18, 2002
Drawn from the Carter’s extensive works on paper collection, this exhibition features prints from 1822 to 1947 that offer a broad spectrum of American printmaking. Artists included are Mary Cassatt, Edward Hopper, and James McNeill Whistler.

Striking Likeness: Portrait Prints from the Permanent Collection

Through August 25, 2002
What people look like, how they act and what can be made of their looks and actions is the focus of this exhibition drawn from the Carter’s print collection. Presenting examples from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, the exhibition brings together more than 40 portraits, self-portraits, and group portraits. Mary Cassatt, James McNeill Whistler, John Sloan, and George Bellows are among the artists whose works will be on view in the museum’s new special exhibition galleries, in conjunction with the traveling exhibition Eye Contact: Modern American Portrait Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery.

Masterworks of American Photography

Ongoing
Consisting of more than 50 selections from the Carter’s holdings of more than 30,000 exhibition-quality prints—one of the most important such collections in the United States—this exhibition changes regularly and is arranged chronologically. The current installation, on view through August 11, includes works by Albert Southworth and Josiah Hawes, William Henry Jackson, and Alfred Stieglitz.

Woodland Portraits: Photographs by Eliot Porter and Jeannette Klute

Through October 13, 2002
Eliot Porter and Jeannette Klute are two early masters of color landscape photography. This exhibition contrasts their different approaches to photographing New England’s woodlands. In depicting similar subjects, Klute used shallow focus to deliver painterly effects while Porter rendered realistic scenes with full focus and exacting detail.

Out of the Blue: Cyanotypes from the Permanent Collection

Through October 13, 2002
Versatility and singular beauty distinguish the cyanotype process presented in 22 images drawn from the Amon Carter’s photography holdings. This exhibition examines the imaging potential in diverse subject matter when a lush blue tonal range transforms portraits, botanical specimens, and landscapes into unforgettable monochromatic creations.

The Spirit of Buildings: Laura Gilpin’s Architectural Photography

Through October 13, 2002
Although Laura Gilpin is primarily known for southwestern landscapes and her documentation of the Navajo, she had an abiding interest in architecture and regularly supplemented her income with architectural photography. The 24 images displayed in this exhibition illustrate how Gilpin’s style of photography went beyond record and document and instead captured the mood and spirit of buildings.

The Extended View

Through October 27, 2002
Photographers and the public alike have long been captivated by the encompassing experience of panoramic vision. This exhibition, drawn from the Amon Carter Museum's extensive holdings, celebrates this experience with 18 often oversized panoramas created by master photographers over the last 125 years. Two extended vistas of San Francisco taken 113 years apart are a special feature of the exhibition.

Stuart Davis: Prints and Drawings

September 7, 2002-March 9, 2003
Drawn from the Carter’s holdings of works on paper by Stuart Davis (1892–1964), this exhibition traces the artist’s repetition of sophisticated imagery throughout his long career. The exhibition features the museum’s complete set of Davis’ 26 prints, consisting of lithographs and screenprints, as well as 20 drawings that served as source imagery for both his prints and oils. Included are the lithographs Davis produced in Paris in 1928–1929; his innovative series of four lithographs from 1931, which are among the most highly regarded prints of the first half of the 20th-century; and his experimentation with color printmaking, beginning in 1939. The exhibition shows how Davis created complex images by continually revisiting his own work, expanding and repeating subject matter focused on Paris, New York, and Gloucester, Massachusetts. The exhibition complements the Carter’s holdings of six major oil paintings by Davis.

Special Exhibitions

Eye Contact: Modern American Portrait Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery

May 25-August 25, 2002
With nearly 50 works on paper exploring a century of portraiture in the graphic media, this exhibition showcases aesthetic masterpieces from the past 100 years that have been assembled in the Portrait Gallery's 30-year history. Some offerings are artists' interpretations of well-known figures from American life, including writers, politicians, actors, and musicians. The personal interaction between artist and subject results in keen portrayals of such luminaries as Henry James, Thornton Wilder, W.C. Fields, and Robert Kennedy. Others are self-portraits, including a shimmering watercolor by Mary Cassatt, a pastel image by Everett Shinn, and a gouache by Joseph Stella. This exhibition has been organized by the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Celebrating America: Masterworks from Texas Collections

September 14-November 17, 2002
This exhibition features major works of American art from public and private Texas collections and celebrates the state’s rich tradition of collecting outstanding examples of American art. The paintings, sculptures, watercolors, and photographs both complement and augment the Carter's own holdings as they hang in a series of special galleries in the new museum. The works tell the story of the remarkable collectors, both historic and more recently established, who continue to enrich the state’s cultural heritage. Celebrating America: Masterworks from Texas Collections is organized by the Amon Carter Museum. This exhibition has been made possible by a generous gift from Wells Fargo.

Gallery Talks

Thursdays, 12:15–12:45 p.m.

• July 11
  Bellows, Boxing, and the Bouts
  Rebecca Lawton, Assistant Curator of Paintings and Sculpture

• July 25
  Aspects of American Portraiture
  Dr. Mark Thistlethwaite, Kay and Velma Kimbell Chair of Art History, TCU

• August 8
  The Sun Girl, Two Interpretations: Agnes Meyer, Edward Steichen, and Marius De Zayas
  Jane Myers, Chief Curator, and Barbara McCandless, Curator of Photographs

• August 22
  The Medicine Man: Charles Russell and The Blackfeet
  Rick Stewart, Director

• September 12
  Picturing the Plumed Serpent: Laura Gilpin’s Photographs of Chichen Itza
  Barbara McCandless, Curator of Photographs

• September 26
  Georgia O’Keeffe in the 1920s: Her Emotional and Physical Journeys
  Shirley Reece-Hughes, Independent Scholar

Special Lectures

Tuesdays, 1 p.m.
A series of lectures presented in conjunction with Eye Contact: Modern American Portrait Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery, by Dr. Mark Thistlethwaite, Kay and Velma Kimbell Chair of Art History, TCU

• July 9, 2002
  'The Most Important Step': Drawing the Human Figure

• July 16, 2002
  The Persistence of Portraiture

• July 23, 2002
  The Artist Gazing at the Artist

• July 30, 2002
  The Abstract Portrait

• August 6, 2002
  After Modernism: The Postmodernist Portrait

Film Series: Portraits in Film

Thursdays, 5:30 p.m.
A film series presented in conjunction with Eye Contact: Modern American Portrait Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery.

• July 18
  Ken Burns’ America: Thomas Hart Benton
  Directed by Ken Burns, 1988, USA, 86 minutes.
  One of America’s best-known and most controversial painters, Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) was a man who said he wanted his work hung in saloons and brothels “where the ordinary man could appreciate them.” The film tells the story of Benton’s rise, fall, and rise again set against the backdrop of the twentieth-century American art scene.
• August 1
  Great Women Artists: Mary Cassatt
  Produced by Kultur Intl., 2000, USA, 45 minutes.
  Influenced by the styles of impressionists such as Caillebotte, Degas, and Renoir, as well as Japanese prints, American artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) developed her own unique approach to art. Focusing on naturalistic depictions, often of children, Cassatt created a body of work that connects adults to their childhood personas.
• August 15
  John Marin’s New York
  Directed by Lou Tyrrell, 1993, USA 32 minutes.
  John Marin (1870-1953) matured as an artist during a period of dramatic technological, industrial, and economic change in America. This film examines Marin’s ability to reinterpret European art within a distinctly American context, blending elements of impressionism, cubism and futurism to create his own, distinctly American style. Marin's ongoing series of cityscapes captures the energy, humor, and excitement of New York during this era. Original jazz score by Derek Smith and Jay Leonhart.

Film Series: About the Artists

Thursdays, 5:30 p.m.
A special film series presented in conjunction with Celebrating America: Masterworks from Texas Collections.

• September 19
  John Singer Sargent: Outside the Frame
  Directed by Jackson Frost, 2000, USA, 57 minutes.
  At the height of his career, Sargent (1856-1925) was the most admired portraitist in England and America, but he was dismissed after his death as merely a commercial artist. This film reexamines his work, including his landscapes, figure paintings, and murals—to reveal one of the great painters of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Narrated by Jacqueline Bisset.

Fables, Fibs and Frontiers for children

Nationally-acclaimed storyteller Finley Stewart will introduce children to masterworks from the museum’s collection of American art through fun, engaging stories.

Fables Sr.

Grades four and up: Each session $35 members; $45 nonmembers

July 9-12, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Session One: Modern Art with Soul
Children will hear stories and learn about modern art made by artists like sculptor Alexander Calder and painter Georgia O’Keeffe. Each day they will make simple artistic creations based on the stories and art they learn about.

July 16-19, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Session Two: The Great Museum Mystery Tour
In this sequel to a popular museum program from 1999, Finley will bring works of art to life by concentrating on the artists, patrons, and subjects. Each day, students will be “sleuths,” and a mystery will be solved. The program concludes Friday afternoon with a student performance for families and friends.

Fables Jr.

Grades two and three: Each session $15 members; $25 nonmembers

July 9-12, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Session One: Magically Modern Art
Children listen while a painting comes alive through stories and discover the magic of modern art.

July 16-19, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Session Two: Stories and Art That Tickle the Funny Bone
Humor will encourage young visitors to take a closer look at paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, and photographs.

The Star-Telegram is the official print sponsor for the Amon Carter Museum.