ACQUISITIONS NEWS Blanton Museum of Art and Contemporary Austin Give Over 500 Artworks to Texas Museums
August 21, 2018 | In the PressFrom Art News (http://www.artnews.com/2018/08/21/blanton-museum-art-contemporary-austin-give-500-artworks-texas-museums/)
In May 2017, the Contemporary Austin transferred its legacy collection—comprised of more than 700 works—to the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas, Austin, which has since incorporated 200 of those pieces into its permanent collection. Today, the two museums announced that they have launched an effort to give the remaining 500 works from the Contemporary Austin’s original gift to 17 Texan institutions.
At a “transfer event” held this past May, representatives from participating museums viewed and selected lots to incorporate into their permanent collections based on a lottery system. The Contemporary Austin collection includes artworks of various mediums, with a particular focus on works on paper by Texas-based and regional artists.
Among the major works in the collection are Ada in a Hat (1990) by Alex Katz; Untitled (Self-Portrait) (1996) by Luis Jiménez; Tarija (1985) by Dorothy Hood; Bill (After Short Silence Then) (1998) by Julian Schnabel; European Holiday (1992) by Judy Chicago; Ladies and Gentlemen (1975) by Andy Warhol; and La Folie (1972) by Alexander Calder.
“As leaders in Austin’s vibrant and rapidly growing arts community, the Blanton and the Contemporary Austin are delighted to collaborate on this ambitious multi-phase project, which will impact the arts here in Austin and throughout Texas,” Simone Wicha, director of the Blanton, said in a statement. “As part of this large and thriving arts ecosystem, the Blanton is proud to support other Texas institutions in serving their communities, while also preserving this important collection of Texas art for future generations.”
Louis Grachos, executive director and CEO of the Contemporary Austin, added, “Further transferring select works to collecting institutions across the state will extend the legacy collection’s impact immeasurably, ensuring that the art works are properly cared for, studied, and enjoyed by thousands of visitors for many years.”
The full list of participating institutions follows in full below.
Amarillo Museum of Art
Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont
Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, affiliated with Texas A&M University
The Grace Museum, Abilene
International Museum of Art & Science, McAllen
Kerr Arts and Cultural Center, Kerrville
Longview Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock
Nancy Fyfe Cardozier Gallery, Odessa at The University of Texas Permian Basin
Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts, Spring
Regional Arts Center, Texarkana
San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts
The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University
Texas State Galleries at Texas State
Tyler Museum of Art
Visual Arts Gallery, Brownsville at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Wichita Falls Museum of Art at Midwestern State University
