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Meeting in San Antonio

Event Details

Exhibition: The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of African American Art: Works on Paper

Date(s): 09/23/2009 - 01/03/2010
Time: Museum hours

McNay Art Museum
6000 N. New Braunfels
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: 210/824-5368

Map/Directions

Tickets can be obtained at:
At the door

McNay website
http://www.mcnayart.org

Event Description

A rare opportunity to see these privately held treasures, this exhibition also serves as an advocate for greater understanding and appreciation of the contributions made by African Americans to art history. Harmon and Harriet Kelley were prescient as collectors, buying works of art at a time when not many other collectors were interested. Hence, their collection contains many works which are not to be seen anywhere else. Among the earliest and rarest works in the exhibition are prints by the 19-century printmaker Grafton Taylor Brown, the first documented professional graphic artist to work on the West Coast. The exhibition is also particularly rich in works by artists of the 1930s and 40s, which document in strikingly beautiful and personal ways the growing awareness of African American heritage and identity. Among the artists included in the exhibition whose work focused on the African American experience are Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, and Jacob Lawrence. The exhibition also includes contemporary works by Alison Saar and Robert Colescott. In all, more than 50 different artists are represented by works in the exhibition. Museum Admission applies to Non-members (Adults – $8, Students with I.D. – $5, Seniors – $5, Active military – $5, Children 12 and under – free) and is Free for Members. No charge for general museum admission on Thursdays from 4 to 9 pm and on the first Sunday of the month. Parking is free in the McNay Visitor Parking Lot. The McNay Art Museum is located at 6000 North New Braunfels, San Antonio, 78209. For additional information about this and other Exhibitions, please refer to www.mcnayart.org or contact Public Relations and Marketing by e-mail: prmedia@mcnayart.org. Museum Hours: Tuesday - Friday, 10 am – 4 pm; Thursday, 10 am – 9 pm; Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm; and Sunday, noon – 5 pm. The McNay is closed every Monday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day.

Event Categories

Cultural Centers - Museums, Cultural Centers - Art/Visual

Venue Information

Venue Name

McNay Art Museum

Venue Description

Housed in what was the home of the late Marion Koogler McNay, the McNay Art Museum focuses primarily on 19th- and 20th- century European and American art. Artists featured include Cézanne, Picasso, Gauguin, Matisse, O’Keeffe, Cassatt, and Hopper. The museum’s collection of prints and drawings is one of the finest in the Southwest. The Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts is one of the premier collections of its kind in the country. Contemporary art and modern sculpture are growing strengths of the McNay collection, which now numbers over 14,000 objects.<br> <br> The McNay was the first modern art museum in Texas. Marion Koogler McNay left her art collection, her Spanish Colonial Revival-style residence, and an endowment "for the advancement and enjoyment of modern art." The 23 acres of grounds, which include fountains, broad lawns and a Japanese- inspired garden and fishpond, are popular for picnics and photography. The museum also features a research library with 30,000 volumes, the 300-seat Leeper Auditorium, and a Museum Store. The McNay’s founder, for whom the museum is named, was "a discriminating collector, an earnest student of the fine arts and a philanthropist of the first magnitude." Steadfast in her commitment to "the advancement and enjoyment of modern art," Mrs. McNay’s original bequest included her important art collection, her 24-room Spanish Colonial Revival-style mansion, the 23 acres upon which it sits, and most of her fortune. The McNay was founded in 1950 and opened to the public four years later.

McNay Art Museum Website