“Garden Party: Nature on Paper” Blooms at the McNay Art Museum This Summer

Installation explores beauty, abundance and the complexities of the natural world

SAN ANTONIO — Flowers bloom, fruit ripens and shadows linger beneath the surface in “Garden Party: Nature on Paper.” On view May 7-Aug. 9 at the McNay Art Museum, the exhibition explores how humans live with and shape the natural world.

Featuring prints, drawings, photographs, paintings and sculpture from the McNay’s permanent collection, the exhibition includes works by artists including René Magritte, Rufino Tamayo, Kara Walker, Luis Jiménez and Honoré Daumier.

Organized by Elizabeth Kathleen Mitchell, Ph.D., head of curatorial affairs and curator of prints and drawings, “Garden Party” unfolds in two distinct yet intertwined narratives. One celebrates what nature offers: lush gardens, flowers and abundance. The other examines what humans take, featuring imagery of hunting and extraction. Together, these perspectives create a layered portrait of nature as both a source of wonder and a site of tension.

The exhibition marks Mitchell’s first since being appointed head of curatorial affairs in February, a dual role that reflects her scholarly expertise and institution-wide leadership. “Garden Party” offers an early expression of her thoughtful curatorial vision, attuned to the complex relationship between art, history and nature.

“From lush gardens to more complex and challenging imagery, ‘Garden Party’ reflects the many ways artists engage with the natural world,” said Mitchell. “It is an opportunity for visitors to slow down, look closely and think about how we coexist with the environment around us.”

The exhibition extends beyond the gallery walls with a series of “Between Two Prints” videos, offering artists’ and experts’ perspectives on select works and shared across the McNay’s social media channels.

Visitors can also explore additional exhibitions on view during this time, including “untitled: 20 Years of Collecting Contemporary Art,” highlighting more than 100 works from the museum’s contemporary collection, and “Angelica Raquel: Mystic Threads,” on view through July 5, featuring fiber-based works inspired by folklore and personal history.

Support for “Garden Party: Nature on Paper” is provided by the Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992.

Related Programs

Second Thursday
May 14
6-9 p.m.
This free community event spotlights “Garden Party: Nature on Paper” on the McNay Grounds. Enjoy live music by Vanita Leo, outdoor art activities, food trucks and dog-friendly lawn spaces. Registration is required.

Patron and Visionary Circle Tour | “Garden Party: Nature on Paper”
May 20
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Elizabeth Kathleen Mitchell, Ph.D., head of curatorial affairs and curator of prints and drawings, shares how modern and contemporary artists have represented the garden as an expression of the complex physical and emotional relationship existing between humans and domesticated nature.

Family Day
June 7
1-4 p.m.
Visitors can experience “Garden Party” in motion during garden walks with McNay gardener Alex Zavala and a special courtyard installation where original artworks will be displayed in trees for guests to take home.

Images available upon request.

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About the McNay Art Museum
The McNay Art Museum engages a diverse community in the discovery and enjoyment of the visual arts. Built in the 1920s by artist and educator Marion Koogler McNay, the Spanish Colonial Revival residence became the site of Texas’ first modern art museum when it opened in 1954. Today, 200,000 visitors a year enjoy works by modern masters including Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Edward Hopper, Joan Mitchell, Alice Neel, Georgia O’Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The 25 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds include sculptures by Willie Cole, Robert Indiana, Luis A. Jiménez Jr., Alejandro Martín, George Rickey, Joel Shapiro, Kiki Smith, Tom Wesselmann and others. 

For more information about the McNay, visit www.mcnayart.org.

The McNay is open Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from Noon to 5 p.m.