Something to Say: The McNay Presents 100 Years of African American Art
The McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas
February 8 - May 6, 2018
The McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
www.mcnayart.org
The McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas
February 8 - May 6, 2018
Charles Alston
Girl in a Red Dress, 1934
Oil on canvas
The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Foundation for the Arts
Pioneering collectors Harriet and Harmon Kelley paved the way for the collection of African American art by museums and private individuals across San Antonio, Texas, and the United States. Something to Say: The McNay Presents 100 Years of African American Art illustrates the Kelley Collection’s impact on our cultural landscape by juxtaposing works from their renowned holdings with loans from the burgeoning collections of African American art of Guillermo Nicolas and Jim Foster, John and Freda Facey, and the McNay Art Museum. Something to Say is the first survey of modern and contemporary African American art to be presented at the McNay.
William Henry Johnson
Ice Cream Stand, ca. 1939 – 42
Gouache, ink, and pencil on paper.
The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Foundation for the Arts
Bob Thompson
Untitled, 1960-61
Oil on canvas
The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Foundation for the Arts
© Estate of Bob Thompson; Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
Drawn primarily from the ground-breaking collection assembled by Harriet and Harmon Kelley over nearly three decades, Something to Say presents more than 50 paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and photographs by a wide range of 20th- and 21st-century artists. Featuring masterpieces by such iconic figures as Charles Alston, Elizabeth Catlett, Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith, Norman Lewis, Horace Pippin, and Charles White, the exhibition and its related programs allow visitors to reflect upon a broad range of African American experiences, and examines the ways different African American artists have expressed personal, political, and racial identity over approximately 100 years. The exhibition empowers the visitor to appreciate multiple perspectives through various artistic expressions. Something to Say therefore exemplifies the McNay’s commitment to equity, inclusion, and social consciousness as well as artistic excellence.
Stanley Whitney
Untitled, 2014
Gouache on paper
Collection of the McNay Art Museum
© Stanley Whitney; Courtesy of the artist and the McNay Art Museum
Titus Kaphar
Letters Never Read, 2017
Oil and tar on canvas
Collection of Guillermo Nicolas and Jim Foster.
© Titus Kaphar. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Throughout the development and planning of Something to Say, the McNay has sought the insights and perspectives of many community members. The exhibition’s Community Committee includes Harriet Kelley, Guillermo Nicolas, Freda Facey, and Veronique LeMelle; additional partners across San Antonio help further inform the exhibition and promote reflection, dialogue, and creativity within the larger community.
The McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
www.mcnayart.org
