
Since its opening in 1954, the McNay has consistently collected and presented artwork by women. The Museum’s founder, Marion Koogler McNay, was an artist and a supporter of the arts–and we strive to honor her legacy. The McNay’s collection demonstrates our longstanding commitment to women artists. Whether this meant collecting the work of Mary Cassatt or offering the use of the grounds during WWII to the San Antonio Art Institute, the McNay has always sought to highlight the art, lives, and communities of women artists. The museum was founded by an audacious woman, and we strive to continue this tradition by supporting women artists of today, in the past, here in Texas, and from around the world. We celebrate by showing art by women across their diverse lived experiences.
Womanish: Audacious, Courageous, Willful Art features artwork by women acquired by the McNay from 2010 to the present. In 2010, the McNay presented the landmark exhibition Neither Model Nor Muse, which celebrated artwork by women from all of the Museum’s major collecting areas. Envisioned as a second chapter to this exhibition, Womanish features over 70 artists and demonstrates the McNay’s ongoing commitment to women.
Image credit: vanessa german, BLACK GIRL WITH SNAKES, 2020. Assemblage. Museum purchase with funds gifted anonymously in memory of Madeline O’Connor, 2021.13. © vanessa german