The McNay Art Museum in San Antonio is expected to nearly double in size when the new Jane and Arthur Stieren Center for Exhibitions opens in June.
Located about 45 minutes from the center of New Braunfels, the 45,000-square-foot museum expansion will be close to the McNay’s landmark home, a Spanish Colonial-style mansion set amid 23 acres of surrounding gardens in the heart of San Antonio.
Already regarded by many as the home of one of the nation’s most important collections of modern French and American art, the $33 million Stieren Center is scheduled to open with a weekend-long celebration June 7.
The Center’s architect is Jean-Paul Viguier, a master builder responsible for many of the most visible aspects of modern-day Paris, including the twin towers in Coeur Défense and the André Citroën Park in the 14th arrondissement, museum officials said.
The inaugural exhibition, “American Art Since 1945: In a New Light,” marks the first time the McNay has exhibited the full extent of its contemporary collection.
In the natural light of the new galleries, new strengths and recent painting acquisitions will be featured, including works by Willem de Kooning, Larry Poons, Dorothea Rockburne and Alexander Liberman.
New sculpture acquisitions, including works by Raoul Hague, John Chamberlain, Kiki Smith, Red Grooms and Chakaia Booker, also are planned, according to information on the museum’s Web site, www.mcnayart.org.
Upon the death of its founder, Marion Koogler McNay –who bequeathed a collection of some 800 works of art – the McNay became the first museum of modern art in Texas in 1950.
Included were paintings and drawings by French artists like Cézanne, Van Gogh, Seurat, Gauguin and Matisse, as well as American masters such as Hassam, Prendergast and Demuth.
Since that time, the collection has grown and today, the permanent collection tells the story of European and American art from the 19th century to the present.
Noted strengths are French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and School of Paris holdings.
The McNay also houses a collection of prints and drawings noted for complete suites and rare impressions.
The museum’s Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts focuses on opera, ballet and the American musical stage. It is among the leading collections of theatre arts in an American art museum, officials said.
The essentials:
For information, call (210) 824-5368, or visit www.mcnayart.org
The McNay Art Museum |
Art Nouveau |