Fort Worth, TX, January 7, 2010—On February 27, 2010, the Amon Carter Museum presents American Moderns on Paper: Masterworks from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. The exhibition, from the country’s oldest public art museum, is on view through May 30, 2010, and showcases a selection of the finest watercolors, pastels, and drawings by avant-garde American artists working from 1910 to 1960. Admission is free.

“The exhibition features major works by some of the leading artists of the early twentieth century, including Charles Demuth, Edward Hopper, John Marin, and Georgia O’Keeffe, and it supports the premise that some of their finest and most innovative work was executed on paper, rather than on canvas,” says Jane Myers, senior curator of prints and drawings at the Amon Carter Museum.

Organized by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Conn., this exhibition includes nearly 100 works on paper, bringing to the local audience works by artists seldom featured at the Carter, such as Arshile Gorky, Hans Hofmann, and Ellsworth Kelly. It is the first major display of the Wadsworth Atheneum’s American works on paper from the early twentieth century.

The exhibition also spotlights the Neo-Romantics and surrealists who came to America in the 1930s. Featuring a diversity of styles from the early twentieth century, it juxtaposes modernism and anti-modernism and explores the tension between the two movements.

The Carter is the first venue for American Moderns on Paper before it travels to the Portland Museum of Art in Maine and then home to be on view at the Wadsworth Atheneum.

A scholarly catalogue, published by Yale University Press, accompanies the exhibition and presents new research on the relevance of watercolors, drawings, and pastels on paper to the history of modern art in America. The exhibition was curated by Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser, Chief Curator and Krieble Curator of American Painting and Sculpture at the Wadsworth.

This exhibition was organized by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut, and made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius; and the Henry Luce Foundation.

Generous support for the Fort Worth presentation of this exhibition is provided the Leo Potishman Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, N.A., Trustee, Garvey Texas Foundation, and Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Promotional support is provided by the Star-Telegram, WFAA, and American Airlines.

Public Programs

Admission is free.

Sunday, April 11, 2010, 1–4 p.m.
Family Funday: Get Modern
The whole family will get modern with activities inspired by modern art. Family Fundays are made possible by the Junior League of Fort Worth.

Thursday, April 22, 2010, 6 p.m.
Gallery Talk: Surveying Sheeler
Rebecca Lawton, Curator of Painting and Sculpture
Jane Myers, Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings
Jessica May, Assistant Curator of Photographs
Works by Charles Sheeler will come out from the Carter’s vaults for one special evening to offer an expansive view of the collection and Sheeler’s uses of various media.

Saturday, May 22, 2010, 10:30 a.m.
Lecture: Dynamic Modern: Color, Line, and Movement in John Marin’s Watercolors
Cyntia Karnes, Senior Paper Conservator, Library of Congress
Gain insight into the technical examination of John Marin’s watercolors and consider how significant shifts in his use of color and movement may have been influenced by developments in optical science and color theory. Because seating is limited, reservations are required. Call 817.989.5030 to register.