San Antonio Museum, San Antonio
History
San Antonio Museum of Art is located in Texa’s Downtown San Antonio. It is situated in the northern section of the River Walk. The Gloria Galt River Landing was opened in 2009. The ‘Museum Reach’, part of the celebrated River Walk’s expansion is anchored on the Landing.
The museum opened to specialize in the Latin American folk art and pre-Columbian Spanish Colonial art. The American and European paintings of 18th, 19th and 20th century decorative, photography and sculpture arts were also included. Gilbert M Denman, Jr. donated funds used in the 1990s for museum expansion.
It established additional collections from Greek, Egyptian and Roman art with Chinese ceramics.
The Chinese ceramics were from Lenora Brown and Walter F., occupying about 1500 square foot. The wing was named after the two and today it is the Asian Art Wing of Lenora and Walter F Brown.
The wing was opened in 2005 to be the largest museum for Asian art in the Southern United States. Cowden Gallery was opened in 1991 for changing exhibitions. Beretta house was renovated in 1994 to provide a new area for schooling and three classrooms. In 1998, the Latin American Art Exhibition at Nelson A Rockefeller Center was opened.
San Antonio Museum Collections
The collection here represents more than 5000 years of history with more than 30,000 pieces of objects. Every region of the world is represented ranging from Roman, Egyptian, Asian and American art to Greek antiques.
- Asian Mediterranean World
- The museum houses the most detailed and one of the largest ancient art exhibits of the Asian Mediterranean World near eastern, Roman, Greek and Egyptian arts in the Southern United States. Objects from pre-dynastic through the late Roman and Byzantine periods are held by the Egyptian collection.
- It also has collections from the Roman and Greek sculptures that encompass portraits, mythological subjects and funerary sculptures.
- Asian Art
- Asian art collections have grown over 70 years to become the most impressive in the United States. The collections include art work from Laos Mongolia, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and India.
- Latin American
- The center offers an overview of works from most of the Caribbean countries, Central and South America and Mexico, numbering over 7,000 objects.
- Contemporary
- Contemporary exhibits are mostly devoted to post World War II sculptures and paintings. It features sculptures and paintings of the Texas artists from 1960s to the present day.
Current Exhibitions
The mummies include three crocodiles, three falcons, two ibises and a cat. The exhibition focuses on the creation of mummies and their role in the Egyptian religion. The museum also hosts various exhibitions such as the Cowden and Golden Galleries art from Viceregal Mexico and ‘The Magic of Clay and Fire: Japanese Contemporary Ceramics’.
The Egyptian Animal Mummies, a science that explores their ancient religion, 4th exhibition will be held at the San Antonio Museum from March 23 to July 1, 2018. The reliquaries will be presented for the first time along with the museum’s mummies.
Visit the San Antonio Museum to explore the city’s rich history.