As the Museum of the Big Bend prepares to open the Emmett and Miriam McCoy Building on the campus of Sul Ross State University in Alpine, John L. Nau, III is providing numerous pieces from his extensive Texas Art collection for visitors to enjoy during the opening.
Christopher Beer, curator of the John L. Nau III Collection of Texas Art, is choosing works for patrons to enjoy during this inaugural exhibition. Beer has selected art from more than 30 artists to exhibit at the opening. His thoughtful choices include pieces by artists influenced by the environs of the expansive Big Bend, West Texas, U.S.-Mexico border and the Davis and Chinati mountain ranges.
“Old Fort Davis-Green Plaster,” William Lewis Lester (1910-1991), 20×28 inches.
Some of the artists were born and raised in the region, others came from across the United States to sketch the area. Some visited and chose to stay, some are from urban centers, and some are from Europe. Visitors will experience vast landscapes, studies in flora and fauna, portraiture and everyday life, all as seen through the eyes of the individuals from diverse backgrounds who reveal the personal impact this special place.
This survey exhibition contains two-dimensional print work and drawings on paper, alongside fine examples of Texas-centric oil and acrylic painting. Featured among these are perennially popular stylistic movements found in Texas art, including Romanticism, Impressionism and Regionalism. Examples from the latter include several works from the famed Dallas Nine, including lithographic prints of compositions drawn by Jerry Bywaters and an oil painting by Everett Spruce.
“Artists have seen this high desert region as one of beauty and inspiration for decades,” said Beer. “Travel with open curiosity, as practiced by many of these artists, provided an experience of this place that, in turn, fed directly into their work — allowing them to present different voices, ideas and scenes that may otherwise not be accessible to us due to time, proximity or other restrictions. Art serves as a passport to these experiences, giving passage to witness moments past—in this case, the many stories that make up the lore of Texas.”
The owner of the Collection, John L. Nau, III, is the chairman and CEO of Silver Eagle Beverages, one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the nation. The business employs more than 500 people who serve Bexar County and San Antonio as well as 12 more counties in southwest Texas.
Nau’s passion shines through in his work in conservation, history and philanthropy. His ardent support of art, architecture, Civil War and American battlefield history, and national park legislation has led him to share his time and expertise with the Texas Historical Commission, which he currently chairs, the National Park Foundation, the American Battlefield Trust, the Andrew Jackson Foundation, where he currently serves as regent, and many other non-profit organizations. He is committed to Texas and its history, and describing that devotion, said, “I would say the mix of the culture, the spirit of the individual and the mythology of Texas captivated me.”
Thanks to the generosity of John L. Nau, III, and his collection of Texas art, some of the best of Texan culture will be preserved, leaving a body of work for generations to interpret, share and cherish.
The work will be on view from March 10 to Aug. 1 in the McCoy Building.
“Old Fort Davis-Green Plaster,” William Lewis Lester (1910-1991), 20×28 inches.