What Starts Here Changes the Art World

Blanton takes place among world's best art museums with latest acquisition

Blanton Museum of Art presents SoundSpace: Music of the 1990s

Austin's Blanton Museum of Art joins the ranks of the world's greatest art museums with latest acquisition.

Photo by Gabriel Cristóver Pérez

For years, Patricia Phelps de Cisneros has made headlines for giving portions of her massive Latin American art collection to museums around the world. On Wednesday, the influential Venezuelan art collector announced she would once again be donating more than 200 pieces to six renowned institutions, including the Blanton Museum of Art, part of The University of Texas at Austin.

Also receiving portions of the gift are The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and Bronx Museum of the Arts in New York City; the Museo de Arte de Lima in Peru; Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires in Argentina; and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid.

The Austin art museum will receive 45 of the 202 pieces, second only to the MoMA which will receive 88. For the Blanton, the acquisition bolsters the museum's Latin American art collection to rival that of the most prominent art institutions in the world.

“As leaders in the exhibition and study of art from Latin America, we look forward to being able to illuminate new connections in our collection and to offer opportunities for diverse audiences to learn about and appreciate Latin American art," said the Blanton's director, Simone Wicha.

In an interview with theNew York Times, Cisernos points out that this is more than just showcasing beautiful work, it's about creating dialogue. "Our mission has always been to build bridges of understanding between Latin America and the U.S. and the rest of the world, rather than to build walls,” she told the Times.

The pieces come from a collection that Cisneros has spent more than 40 years amassing. Her gift includes works from prominent Latin American artists including Mateo Manuare, Claudio Perna, Leda Catunda, Mariana Castillo Deball, and Mateo López. The donation also adds work from 20 new artists to the Blanton's permanent collection.

Wednesday's gift marks Cisernos' second major donation to the Blanton. In summer 2017, she gave a collection of colonial Latin American art to the museum.

“The Blanton is known for its longstanding and comprehensive collection of art from Latin America and for its dedication to furthering scholarship and interdisciplinary study in the field of Latin American art," Cisernos said in a release.

In keeping with that spirit of scholarship, the Blanton says Cisernos' gift will become a cornerstone of the museum's teaching collection, and will offer new possibilities for collaboration across educational disciplines.

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New

Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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