A Major Acquisition

Smithsonian art museum adds portrait by Texas artist with Austin ties

Tomás Ybarra-Frausto in an Aztlán dream by Cruz Ortiz

Cruz Ortiz's Tomás Ybarra-Frausto in an Aztlán dream has been added to the National Portrait Gallery.

An iconic American museum is adding one of Texas' own to its prestigious collection. On Tuesday, February 18, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian, announced it had acquired Tomás Ybarra-Frausto in an Aztlán dream by San Antonio-based Cruz Ortiz. The news was first reported by the San Antonio Express-News.

The eight-foot oil painting depicts Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, a Chicano activist and former Stanford University professor, posing in front of an agave plant.

Ortiz's piece will join thousands of other famous images at the museum, including the portraits of President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama. On Instagram, the artist said he was "incredibly humbled and honored" to learn his work would be added to the Portrait Gallery's permanent collection.

Austin fans of Ortiz can see his work at places like The Liberty, where he created a large-scale mural in the bar's back patio. He is also the brother of Rene Ortiz, chef and co-owner of Launderette and Fresa's.

The Portrait Gallery's acquisition of Ortiz's Tomás Ybarra-Frausto in an Aztlán dream seems a fitting end to the artist's time in San Antonio. Earlier this month, news broke that Ortiz and his wife, Olivia Flores Ortiz, another fixture of the San Antonio art scene, are moving their family to Houston. The pair detailed the decision to return to Ortiz's hometown in an interview with the Express-News, citing family interests and the desire to be in a bigger art market.

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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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