Exhibition at San Antonio Museum of Art highlights recent acquisitions and rarely seen works
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Saturday, December 21, 2024


Exhibition at San Antonio Museum of Art highlights recent acquisitions and rarely seen works
Cat Mummy, Egyptian, Roman period, 30 B.C.–395 A.D., Cat remains, linen, pigment, 20 × 7 in. (50.8 × 17.8 cm), Gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr., 91.80.206, Photography by Peggy Tenison.



SAN ANTONIO, TX.- Over the course of its 40-year history, the San Antonio Museum of Art has developed an expansive 30,000-object collection that represents human creation and experience from across thousands of years and from cultures spread across six continents. In its upcoming exhibition, 40 Years, 40 Stories: Treasures and New Discoveries from SAMA’s Collection, SAMA will present works from the collection that are currently held in storage and that have been selected by members of the Museum’s curatorial team as works of particular personal interest, inspiration, and fascination. Many of the 40 objects chosen for the show have been off view for numerous years, while others are being presented for the first time. In other instances, artworks capture little-known or under-studied artistic and cultural narratives. Together, the works engage audiences anew with SAMA’s broad-ranging holdings and highlight the depth, range, and dynamism of the collection. 40 Years, 40 Stories will be on view from October 16, 2021–January 2, 2022.

“All of the artworks featured in the exhibition have a story to tell about culture, community, and history. The exhibition provides an exciting range of creative and technical innovation through time and captures the ways in which material culture has always been and continues to be essential to both constructing and understanding the world in which we live,” said Jessica Powers, Interim Chief Curator and The Gilbert M. Denman, Jr. Curator of Art of the Ancient Mediterranean World. “At the same time, re-examining our collection felt like the perfect way to celebrate the Museum’s 40th anniversary. It’s an opportunity to explore how the collection has evolved and is also instructive as we continue to bring works into our holdings that capture the diversity of artistic production across time, geography, and media.”

Among the highlights in the exhibition is the reinstallation of the monumental painting Mary, Lady Arundell of Wardour (1767) by the famed English painter Sir Joshua Reynolds. The full-length portrait was acquired by SAMA in 1981 and held a prominent position in its European decorative arts gallery for many years. In 2016, the painting was sent to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston for a multi-year conservation project, which was completed this year. The newly conserved painting reveals a new depth of detail and color within Reynolds’ composition. The removal of old, discolored layers of retouching and varnish has given the portrait a fresher and more balanced look. Another work in the exhibition that is being presented following recent conservation is the late 17th- to early 18th-century Chinese handscroll, Peach Blossom Spring. The work depicts the tale of a fisherman who discovers a utopian community. Following a long period of storage, the handscroll was repaired and remounted so that it can be safely unrolled for viewing.

40 Years, 40 Stories also presents for the first time several new acquisitions, including an exquisitely carved Islamic amulet that was acquired in 2013. The amulet is inscribed with 63 Names of God and a verse from the Qur’an, and was intended to invoke divine protection. The exhibition will also feature a recently acquired petrosphere, a massive stone sphere that weighs more than 600 pounds and was produced by the ancient inhabitants of Costa Rica. Found in groups, these spheres demarcated features of the landscape for communities in the Diquís region, though their precise meaning is not yet understood. The exhibition will also be the first occasion to show Celia Eberle’s sculptural installation Moss Grotto (2016) at SAMA. Recently acquired in 2019, this monumental work invites contemplation of the inevitability of Nature and of human loss.

Other objects in the exhibition include embroidered textiles made by Salvadoran refugees who fled their country’s civil war in the 1980s that have never previously been shown; a mosaic depicting a Nereid that was thought to be an ancient Roman work but was later discovered to be a 20th-century copy after a floor in the Baths of the Seven Sages, Ostia; a richly carved Yoruba veranda post; and a painted portrait of Pola Negri, a femme fatale of 1920s and 30s Hollywood who retired to San Antonio and left her glamorous portrait to the Museum.

Works in 40 Years, 40 Stories will be organized loosely by subject, function, and aesthetic resonance, capturing the ways in which seemingly disparate objects relate to and connect in dialogue together. The exhibition is curated by Powers, with objects selected by members of SAMA’s curatorial, collections, and education teams.










Today's News

October 16, 2021

Welcome to planet surrealism

Beauford Delaney: Portraits glowing with inner light

Georgia Museum of Art opens "Collective Impressions: Modern Native American Printmakers"

Christie's offers van Gogh's 'Mueles de Blé' - Poised to set an auction record for a work on paper by the artist

The Morgan presents 'Imperial Splendor: The Art of the Book in the Holy Roman Empire'

Kasmin opens an exhibition of new work by painter Liam Everett

Exhibition presents some 650 works from the past 28 years of Kara Walker's career

Student 'Town House' named UK's best new building - 2021 RIBA Stirling Prize winner

Julie Mehretu, the artist's first ever midcareer survey, opens at The Walker

Culturally significant objects far exceed estimates in Freeman's Asian Arts sale

Exhibition at San Antonio Museum of Art highlights recent acquisitions and rarely seen works

George Jones, Hank Williams reunited as their guitars take center stage at Heritage Auctions

Space Exploration and Aviation Auction featuring Gene Cernan's notes for his historic speech up for bid at RR Auction

Abraham Lincoln signed check sold for $35,255 at auction

'Art transcends race': Paris Opera Ballet's first Asian etoile ballerina

Young pianists vie for glory in Poland's Chopin competition

Review: In 'The Lehman Trilogy,' a vivid tale of profit and pain

Gary Paulsen, author of young adult adventures, dies at 82

Mike Renzi, a jazz singer's best friend, dies at 80

Smutty Smiff gets his bass back

'The Velvet Underground' review: And me, I'm in a rock 'n' roll band

Ellen Owens named Director of the Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University

Sterling Associates to auction fine art from N.J., Manhattan, Jupiter, Fla., and New Orleans estates

Holabird Western Americana Collections announces 5-day Autumn Splendor Western Americana Auction

Rebecca and Paul Nagy first to contribute to Harn Museum's expansion

Chrysler Museum of Art welcomes new school and teacher programs coordinator

Successful Guide To Design A Effective TikTok Marketing Methods

Need a hospital bed rental, Scarborough? Here are the options

Tips For A Successful Fishing Experience




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
(52 8110667640)

Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Houston Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful