Fort Worth, TX, January 6, 2015

Special Exhibitions

Indigenous Beauty: Masterworks of American Indian Art from the Diker Collection

July 7–September 13, 2015
Drawn from the celebrated American Indian art collection of Charles and Valerie Diker, Indigenous Beauty: Masterworks of American Indian Art from the Diker Collection showcases approximately 120 masterworks, including fine examples of basketry, pottery, sculpture, ivories, kachina dolls, regalia, and pictographic arts from tribes across the North American continent. The exhibition provides rare access to many exquisite works from one of the most comprehensive and diverse collections of American Indian art in private hands.

Indigenous Beauty is organized by the American Federation of Arts. This exhibition was made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor, the JFM Foundation, and Mrs. Donald Cox.

Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum

October 10, 2015–January 3, 2016
Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum explores the “self-taught” artist as an elastic and enduring phenomenon with powerful and profound implications that have changed over time. More than 100 works of art are on view in this groundbreaking exhibition that highlights the roles of folk and self-taught artists as figures who are central to the shared history of America and whose contributions to the national conversation are paramount. Self-Taught Genius features masterpieces in a variety of forms including textiles and needlework, ceramics, sculptural and carved figures, drawings, paintings, furniture and much more, dating from the 18th century to the present.

The exhibition considers the shifting implications of a self-taught ideology in the United States, from a widely endorsed movement of self-education to its current usage to describe artists working outside traditional frames of reference and art history. Self-taught art, past and present, blurs boundaries between disciplines, questions the definition of art, and forces us to reconsider our assumptions about what art truly is. These “self-taught geniuses” have been active participants in the shaping of American visual culture, influencing generations of artists, and establishing lively artistic traditions.

Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum is organized by the American Folk Art Museum. The exhibition and national tour are made possible by generous funding from the Henry Luce Foundation, as part of its 75th anniversary initiative.

Also on View

Lone Star Portraits

Through May 10, 2015
Ever since Leonardo da Vinci created his celebrated Mona Lisa, artists have tried to paint portraits as distinctive as this Renaissance masterpiece. See how Texas artists established their own portrait tradition in this installation that pairs artists’ self-portraits with those of their close friends, relatives, and colleagues. Featuring works by some of the state’s most important artists of the 20th century and today, this modest exhibition suggests how intimate, detailed likenesses allowed Texas artists to identify themselves in public and private spheres similar to today’s selfies and Instagram photographs.

Audubon’s Beasts

January 15–August 2, 2015
Industrious field mice, frolicking squirrels, fierce otters, and fearsome wild cats are just some of the stars of this selection of hand-painted prints by famed scientist and artist John James Audubon (1785–1851). Although we know Audubon today primarily for his devotion to birds, he was more than a chronicler of flying creatures. This exhibition features some of his greatest depictions of North America’s four-legged animals in their natural habitats, from swamps to savannahs.

American Still Life

February 14–August 2, 2015
This exhibition showcases approximately 60 works from the museum’s collection of 19th- and 20th-century still lifes. Organized in celebration of the recent acquisition of Raphaelle Peale’s Peaches and Grapes in a Chinese Export Basket (1813), the exhibition includes works from across the collection including paintings by the trompe l‘oeil masters William Harnett and John Frederic Peto, vibrant floral subjects by Georgia O’Keeffe and Arthur Dove, prints by Louis Lozowick, and photographs by Wynn Bullock and Carlotta Corpron.

Like Father, Like Son: Edward and Brett Weston

February 21–August 23, 2015
Edward Weston (1886–1958) and his son Brett (1911–1993) were both master photographers. Yet rarely is their work shown together. Featuring 23 prints, this exhibition offers an unusual opportunity to compare the visions of these two artists and to see how each balanced recording the world’s direct appearance with a sense of abstraction.

Remington and Russell

February 28–May 24, 2015
Although they were contemporaries, Frederic Remington (1861–1909) and Charles M. Russell (1864–1926) could hardly have been more different. This focused exhibition of paintings and sculptures selected from the Amon Carter’s extensive collection offers visitors an opportunity to gain insight into dissimilarities between the two artists. Remington and Russell followed their unique paths to become the greatest practitioners of the art of the American West. Yet, regardless of their differences, they not only manifested the Western Myth, they were largely responsible for creating it.

Samuel F. B. Morse’s Gallery of the Louvre and the Art of Invention

May 23–August 23, 2015
The Amon Carter is delighted to participate in a national tour organized by the Terra Foundation for American Art of Samuel F.B. Morse’s iconic painting Gallery of the Louvre (1831–1833). Though Morse is most widely known as a scientist and inventor, he was a leading artist of his time and served as president of the National Academy of Design. Gallery of the Louvre stands as one of Morse’s last great artistic achievements. Filled with his careful and personal selection of the Louvre’s finest works, all of which he painstakingly reproduced in miniature, the painting is a signal work of transatlantic exchange intended to connect American audiences with great European artworks.

Gallery of the Louvre, with its pictorial and thematic complexity, continues to engage audiences interested in science and technology as well as art. The Amon Carter will present Morse’s famous painting and painted preparatory sketch in combination with works on paper from the museum’s own collection that, like Morse’s painting, feature museum and gallery spaces as their subject matter.

This exhibition is organized by and with support from the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Pasture Cows Crossing Indian Creek, Comanche, Tx. Looking of the old civilian fort of 1851, north of Gustine and a mile west of Baggett Creek Church.

May 19, 2015–May 30, 2016
A visionary storyteller, Esther Pearl Watson (b. 1973) blends memories and imagination to capture her Texas upbringing. She is presently at work on a mural-size painting (about 13 feet tall and 20 feet wide) created specifically for the Amon Carter’s atrium. As part of the museum’s program of rotating contemporary artworks in the atrium space, Pasture Cows Crossing Indian Creek is an exciting addition to an ongoing exploration of Texas artists and their contributions to modern American art.

An homage to her family, “the memories we built together and sense of place,” this lively, storied painting features a wide swathe of land in Comanche, Texas, where the artist’s grandfather operated a cattle ranch and was general manager of the local radio station. Watson highlights the canvas with landmarks and motifs that are identifiable to Texas natives. Although deeply personal, Watson’s narratives transcend her inner world to relay the distinctive folklores and qualities that are unique to Texas.

Texas Folk Art

September 12, 2015-June 5, 2016
Texas Folk Art features the spirited work of some of the state’s most original painters and sculptors, including H.O. Kelly, Reverend Johnnie Swearingen, Velox Ward, and Clara McDonald Williamson, among others. Developing their own styles, these artists were unfettered by the conventions of academic training and traditional guidelines of art making. Lively storytelling was their primary focus, and they used any pictorial means necessary to create animated narratives about working, playing, and worshipping in Texas.

Because their subject matter most often derives from personal experiences, these artists created scenes reminiscent of Texas’ past. Kelley, Ward, and Williamson, for instance, depicted scenes of rural life, daily chores, and family and community rituals that they recalled from their youth. These paintings are more than autobiographical memories; they are historical reminders of the state’s rural past and evolving identity.

Laura Wilson: That Day

September 5, 2015–February 14, 2016
Laura Wilson takes us into a West defined by diverse communities outside the suburban middle class. This exhibition of more than 60 photographs introduces us to worlds that are hard-bitten and fiercely independent. Framed equally by beauty and violence, the images reflect the artist’s challenge to today’s homogenized America.