Rembrandt to Rauschenberg: Building the Collection

The Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin will present Rembrandt to Rauschenberg: Building the Collection featuring recent acquisitions to the Museum's permanent collection. The Blanton, with the largest and most comprehensive collection of art in central Texas, is one of the foremost university art museums in the nation and the leading art museum serving the city of Austin. Since 1997, the Museum has built its collection at an extraordinary pace, acquiring more than 2,000 works of art. From January 19-March 4, 2001, Rembrandt to Rauschenberg will showcase 200 of these works-ranging from paintings and drawings of the early Renaissance to provocative contemporary mixed media and installation pieces – in the Blanton's Art Building galleries.

The support of individuals from the Austin and greater Texas communities has been instrumental in the expansion of the Blanton's collection. The majority of works included in Rembrandt to Rauschenberg came to the Museum as gifts or were acquired through donations made toward the purchase of works of art. The exhibition will present the work of artists ranging from Old Masters such as Raphael and Rembrandt, to Whistler and Cezanne, to contemporary artists including Cildo Meireles and Ellen Gallagher, and provides a special occasion to examine the collecting strategies of an institution building exceptional resources for teaching and research as well as public display.