Eye of a Collector: The John M. Parker Jr. Bequest
April 4, 2024
- July 7, 2024
Located in the Lawson Print Gallery
A native of San Antonio, John Parker’s fascination with artworks that challenge notions of what art is began in professor Bob Tiemann’s lectures at Trinity University in the 1970s. This early fascination became a lifelong passion for Parker and inspired him to become one of the most important collectors of minimalist and conceptual art in Texas. Parker was a visionary collector who recognized emerging talent. He regularly acquired several works by an artist in whom he had a particularly strong interest. The second installment of exhibitions that highlight the John M. Parker Jr. bequest, this exhibition features work by artists on whom he focused during his five decades as a dedicated collector.
Eye of a Collector: The John M. Parker Jr. Bequest is organized for the McNay Art Museum by Lyle W. Williams, Curator of Prints and Drawings, Curator of Modern Art.
Funding is most generously provided by the Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992.
Image credit: John Baldessari, Rollercoaster, 1989. Photogravure with color aquatint. Collection of the McNay Art Museum, Bequest of John M. Parker Jr., 2023.32. © John Baldessari
WATCH: Lyle Williams on Eye of a Collector: The John M. Parker Jr. Bequest
Lyle Williams, Curator of Prints and Drawings, discusses the McNay’s longstanding relationship with prominent collector and San Antonio native, John M. Parker, Jr., and his 2017 gift and 2023 bequest.
The significant gift positions the Museum as an important center for the study of minimalist and conceptualist printmaking with more than 200 objects from artists, including Jasper Johns, Agnes Martin, and Donald Judd.
