Fort Worth, TX, August 19, 2009

Circle of Friends: Portraits of Artists

Through November 29, 2009
For much of the history of figurative art, artists have made self-portraits and portraits of their patrons, but with the advent of modernism they began making portraits of one another with increasing regularity. Although the practice of artist portraiture was widespread in painting, printmaking, sculpture and photography through much of the 20th century, photographers were especially perceptive of a need to document their circles of artist-peers and friends.

As part of the process, photographers created works that embody their artistic and personal ambitions, from the glamorous femme fatale of Hollywood to the purposeful self-consciousness of the Stieglitz Circle painters, each of whom faced the camera in turn. Circle of Friends, drawn from the Amon Carter Museum’s collection of photographs, examines these historical moments via portraits of their key participants.

Masterworks of American Photography: Moments in Time

Through January 3, 2010
Journey through photography’s history in an exhibition of works from the medium’s early years to the present day. Taken together, these images from the Carter’s permanent collection reflect the diversity and richness of an American visual tradition and explore photography’s unique relationship to time.

The exhibition includes a number of recent acquisitions that relate to the passing of time in works that range from enduring still lifes to fleeting moments captured by the camera. This display of Masterworks of American Photography is supported by Canon U.S.A. and Fort Worth Camera.

Edward S. Curtis: The North American Indian

December 12, 2009–May 16, 2010
In 1900, Edward S. Curtis undertook the momentous task of documenting American Indian cultures across the United States. Over the next 30 years, he took over 40,000 photographs and collected information about more than 80 tribes, ranging from the Inuit people of the far north to the Hopi people of the Southwest. He assembled this material into 20 lavishly illustrated text volumes, each accompanied by a folio of approximately 38 exquisitely printed, hand-pulled photogravures. Today, The North American Indian is widely heralded as a masterpiece of unparalleled scope and beauty, revered by many as a key artistic and historical resource. The Amon Carter Museum will display a selection of works from this compelling new acquisition.