Museums in Central and North Texas Announce Recent Acquisitions

Texas museums, including the San Antonio Museum of Art, the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, the Kimbell Art Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Stark Museum of Art, have announced recently acquired works. 

This spring, the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) acquired Carlos Rosales-Silva’s Biblioteca no. 3. The work is part of a series the artist began in 2017 during his residency at Artpace and is inspired by the city’s Central Library, which was designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta. The acquisition comes on the heels of Mr. Rosales-Silva’s site-specific installation at SAMA Pase Usted.

In a press release, Lana Meador, Associate Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art at SAMA, commented, “We are honored to add Biblioteca no. 3 to the museum’s collection. Carlos’s painting — in addition to being visually striking — engages with broad cultural narratives while resonating with our local experience of the urban landscape in San Antonio.”

In June, the Kimbell Art Museum announced its acquisition of George Stubbs’ Mares and Foals Belonging to the 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke. Mr. Stubbs is an English painter best known for his depictions of horses, he is highly regarded for both his understanding of the animal’s anatomy and his ability to capture their expressions.

In a press release, Eric Lee, Director of the Kimbell, said, “With a mandate to collect only works of major historical and aesthetic importance, the Kimbell is the natural home for this masterpiece. I am sure that it will become an audience favorite. Visitors to the museum will relish the multidimensional depiction of mares and foals—alive with subtle drama, imbued with tenderness, and fascinating in its expression of the individual personalities of each horse.”

Also last month, the Stark Museum of Art acquired two quilts that are part of its special exhibition Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West. Carolyn Crump’s The Game Changer depicts the story of Lieutenant Charles Young, a West Point graduate who served with the 9th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, a segregated military unit composed of African American troops. Georgia Williams’ Cathay Williams a.k.a. William Cathay: Female Buffalo Soldier, illustrates the biography of Cathy Williams, who disguised herself as a man so she could enlist in the U.S. Army in 1866.

In a press release, Jennifer Dickinson, Executive Director of the Stark Museum, remarked, “The Stark Museum of Art is committed to ensuring that our collection comprehensively tells the story of all who lived and explored the American West, and Carolyn Crump and Georgia Williams’ quilts are important acquisitions that help us better reach this goal. The additions of their incredible works of art to the collection will provide new opportunities for the museum to dive deeper into the history of the American West and expand the art media represented in our collection.”

Earlier this month the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) acquired Antonio Lechuga’s A Friday in the Summer, a Friday Like Any Other, a mixed-media work that depicts the place where the artist was shot while out on a run in July 2022. Mr. Lechuga has shown his work across the U.S. and beyond. Last year, he was among five North Texas artists to receive the Nasher Artist Grant and next month he will have an exhibition at the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas. Last week, Daisha Board Gallery, who represents Mr. Lechuga, announced a collaboration between the gallery and Various Small Fires (VSF). VSF will present an exhibition of Mr. Lechuga’s work titled Street Views, at its Dallas location from July 27 through August 31.

Vivian Li, The Lupe Murchison Curator of Contemporary Art at the DMA told Glasstire that she had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Lechuga about his work following an artist talk at Daisha Board Gallery. She explained, “I have been following Antonio’s work for a while, but never got to see any of it in person. This one was remarkable and unique from his others. When he told me the tragic experience that inspired it, the work felt even more poignant how it speaks to gun violence today despite its comforting materiality.”

On July 4, the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts debuted 40 works that it has welcomed into its collection in the exhibition New Acquisitions. The newly acquired pieces include early Texas prints and drawings as well as contemporary paintings and sculptures. The exhibition includes works by Xavier Gonzalez (museum purchase with funds from Anne Shahan), Roger Allen and Akio Takamori (gifts of Pam Bladine in memory of Roger Allen), Jack Earl (a gift of John Williams), and Lee Albert Hill, Jesús Toro Martinez, Connie Connally, Tom Coleman, and Frank Boyden (gifts of the artists).