Now and Beyond

A new exhibition titled An Expanding Vision is among the many events taking place at the Amon Carter Museum in celebration of its 60th anniversary

April 24-August 22

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The Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas, celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, and part of that celebration is an exhibition that revisits pivotal moments in the museum’s history of collecting works on paper. An Expanding Vision: Six Decades of Works on Paper showcases a vast range of artistic styles and periods, curated by a team of former Carter Museum curators and directors alongside current staff, who all banded together to reflect on the importance of each artwork at the time that it entered the collection.Charles White (1918-1979), Trenton Six, 1949. Ink and graphite on paperboard. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX.

“Over the decades, the museum has built an expansive collection of more than 8,000 prints, drawings and watercolors. We wanted to explore some of this rich history while showcasing what gives our holdings their unique dimension and scope,” says Spencer Wigmore, assistant curator of painting, sculpture, and works on paper. “Viewers will have the chance not only to see major highlights but firsthand perspectives on how our collecting priorities have changed over the years. We’re looking back on 60 years of collecting, which we hope will raise the question of what our collection should look like 60 years from now,” he says. “What stories should it tell and whose voices should it include?Winslow Homer (1836-1910), Blyth Sands, 1882. Graphite, opaque watercolor, ink, chalk and charcoal on paper. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX.

Wigmore discusses a historic highlight in the exhibition, Charles White’s poignant Trenton Six, in support of the six African American men wrongfully accused of murder in 1948 in Trenton, New Jersey. “During the planning of this exhibition, a number of curators described the importance of Charles White’s 1949 drawing, Trenton Six, which the Carter acquired in 2004. An artist, teacher and activist, White was a key artistic figure in the civil rights struggles of the 20th century...The work portrays the six men alongside Bessie Mitchell, the sister of one of the accused, who rallied national and international support on their behalf,” Wigmore explains. “Trenton Six showcases White’s remarkable technical skill, as well as the unique way that he emphasized both the horrors of racial discrimination and the dignity of those battling oppression.”Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), Maternal Caress, 1890-1891. Drypoint, aquatint and soft ground etching. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX.

Fidelia Bridges (1834-1923), Pink Cyclamen, ca. 1875. Transparent and opaque watercolor heightened with gum glaze and graphite on paper. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX.

Among the many works by American artists on display, An Expanding Vision will also feature four broadsides by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada. “In 1978, we purchased more than 400 of Posada’s prints from a dealer in Mexico City, creating one of the largest museum collections of his work,” says Wigmore.

An Expanding Vision: Six Decades of Works on Paper will be on view from April 24 to August 22. —