Art to see now

10 must-see DFW art exhibitions in August have lessons to teach us all

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents "Jammie Holmes: Make the Revolution Irresistible."

Photo courtesy of PD Rearick

With school now in session for the kiddos, learning new things is front and center for teachers, students, and parents. Art lovers can find some lessons too in eye-opening August art shows and exhibitions. In shows this month, artists bring history to life, change our perspective on history as accepted fact, and open our eyes to new lessons from life and art.

Last month’s Barbie in a Blender show at Daum gallery has been extended, and free tickets for gallery viewings every Saturday in August are available on Eventbrite. If you missed it, you’ll want to add that to this list of 10 must-see art exhibitions in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this month.

Texas Artists Coalition (TAC) 17th Annual Juried Exhibition
Marlene and Spencer Hays Gallery at Arts Fort Worth, through August 26
Juror (and co-founder of Tayf Collective) Saria Almidani says she found references to “home, memory, intimacy, and our post-pandemic state” in the works of the 27 Texas artists selected for this show. “What’s incredible about this exhibition is that there is a unified theme among a variety of mediums; figurative, realism, abstract, textile, photography, sculpture, video installations, and more,” Almidani says.

Antonio Lechuga: "Structures of Softness"
Oak Cliff Cultural Center, through September 2
For much of his art career, East Dallas resident and artist Antonio Lechuga has been exploring borders, walls, and fences, creating representations that invite deeper thought about separations and the intentions behind them. Lechuga assembles foam structures covered in cojibas - fleece-like blankets made in Mexico - for Structures in Softness, his largest work to-date. Originally scheduled for August 2022, the show was postponed when Lechuga was shot while jogging on the Santa Fe Trail. His experiences while recovering from a life-threatening injury further inform an already stirring perspective.

Jammie Holmes: “Make the Revolution Irresistible”
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, through November 26
In his first solo museum exhibition, Jammie Holmes brings to life stories of Black families and communities in tableau and portrait paintings. Fifteen paintings - a survey from his earliest to his most recent work - explore themes of masculinity, mourning, childhood, and race. With a style that’s neither traditionally realistic nor pure abstraction, Holmes provides a new vision while addressing long-time social structures such as poverty and racism. Adult admission, which includes entrance to permanent collection exhibitions and all special and traveling exhibitions, is $16 Tuesdays through Thursdays, $8 on Sundays, and free on Fridays.

Haley Cook: Ain’t a Daddy’s Girl
500X Gallery, through August 27
Mixed media artist Haley Cook illustrates their perspective on gender confusion through an art piece constructed of fabrics that once might have been used for a baby girl's clothing and layette. Cook explores their own queer identity in a playful way as a balm to the tumult and conflict often experienced in understanding and living gender nonconformity.

Chocolate And Art Show Dallas
Lofty Spaces, August 17-18
This annual feast for the senses brings together emerging artists, photographers, and creators with live face painting and body painting, live music, and a very live vibe. Complimentary chocolate treats are also part of the festive event. Tickets are available for Thursday and Friday night, starting at $15 if purchased early.

David Collins: “Beyond These Days”
Valley House Gallery, through September 23
David Collins shares his personal history and his personal iconography on canvas. Collins uses acrylic paint, charcoal, ink, and graphite to illustrate shifting geometric planes that incorporate architectural elements and aviation motifs. This show, his fourth solo show at Dallas’ hidden gem art gallery Valley House, opens Saturday, August 19. Before the show opening, join Collins for an artist talk at 5:30 pm and a reception from 6-8 pm. Both events and the gallery exhibit are free to the public.

Mônica Lóss: “Offerings”
Cluley Projects, August 26 - September 30
The textile constructions of artist Mônica Loss incorporate repurposed fabric and clothing as well as found items to imbue a sense of permanence to things that may have once been treasures. Her exploration of the relationships between feminine and the domestic things created a sensory canvas for all to discover.

Madelyn Sneed-Grays: "BLACK JOY"
Erin Cluley Gallery, August 26-September 30
Denton-based painter Madelyn Sneed-Grays seeks to bring awareness to the beauty of the Black community through her representational style. Her work has been shown in juried shows and solo exhibitions in Texas and throughout the United States since her graduation from University of North Texas in 2014 with a B.F.A in Studio Art.

Paul Winker & Jan van der Ploeg
Cris Worley Fine Arts, August 26-September 30
Dallas artist Paul Winker first collaborated with Dutch painter at last year’s Dallas Art Fair. The two explore a vision for renewal and discovery in this show, which seems destined to spark conversation about the link between the everyday and the extraordinary. Visit the gallery for a conversation between the artists on Saturday, August 26 at 4pm with a reception following from 5 to 8 pm. The event is free and open to the public.

"Come to Colorado"
Amon Carter Museum of American Art, August 27-January 7, 2024
In this exhibit, rarely-shown 19th-century photographs document Colorado’s settlement, mining industry, and promotion as a place for outdoors enthusiasts. Photographs by W. J. Carpenter, Joseph M. Collier, and William Henry Jackson are featured in the collection. Admission to the museum is free. Member preview days are Friday, August 25 and Saturday, August 26.

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Ancient Sculpture News

Fort Worth museum one of only 3 in U.S. to get rare sculpture exhibit

Lorenzo di Masi/Torlonia Collection

The Torlonia Nile

A major exhibition of ancient Roman masterworks is coming to the U.S. for the first time to be viewed at only three museums — including the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

Called Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection, it's an assemblage of works stewarded by the Torlonia Family beginning in the early-19th century, and will be installed at the Kimbell from September 14, 2025 – January 25, 2026.

As part of the Foundation’s mission to showcase these historical works to the public, the exhibition will premiere at the Art Institute of Chicago on March 15 through June 29, before traveling to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Its third stop will be at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, from March 14 - July 19, 2026.

The Torlonia Collection was established during the course of the 19th century by the Franco-Italian banker Prince Giovanni Torlonia and his son Alessandro, then handed down over generations, eventually growing into the largest private collection of ancient Roman sculptures.

Today, the Torlonia Foundation represents the culmination of the Family’s continued passion for art. Created at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1925–2017), the Foundation’s mission is to preserve and promote the Torlonia Collection and Villa Albani Torlonia.

In 1876, Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1800-1886) created a museum to house and exhibit the Family’s holdings, which was open to small groups until its closure at the onset of World War II. The sculptures remained unseen by the public from that time until the Foundation’s first exhibition at the Musei Capitolini in Rome in 2020. That was followed by a stint at the Louvre, the first presentation of the collection outside of Rome, where it has drawn more than 600,000 visitors to date, an unprecedented feat.

The exhibit
The curators of Myth & Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection are Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff of the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition is co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and The Museum Box. All of the sculptures in the exhibition have been restored by the Foundation with the support of Bvlgari.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue co-published by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, edited by Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff, with essays by Silvia Beltrametti and Salvatore Settis.

The North American presentation will feature 58 highlights from the Torlonia Collection, including 24 newly restored works that have not been on view in nearly a century. The sculptures date from approximately the 5th century BCE to the early 4th century CE, with the majority of the works dating to the High Imperial period (1st–2nd centuries CE). Highlights include examples of the most emblematic genres of ancient marble sculpture, acquired by the Torlonia Family from the most prominent collections of Rome’s patrician families, as well as from excavations made on the Family’s own estates throughout Italy.

“The Foundation is excited to be sharing the Torlonia Collection with audiences in North America for the first time. This exceptional group of ancient sculptures is a testament to the enduring cultural legacy of ancient Rome, as well as the vision and passion of multiple generations of the Torlonia Family,” said Alessandro Poma Murialdo, President of the Torlonia Foundation.

The presentation is organized thematically in six sections, featuring sculptures found on the Torlonia Family’s properties in Rome and the surrounding suburbs and their estate in Porto, Portugal, as well as a number of exceptional sarcophagi (stone coffins), among the largest sculpted works in marble to survive from ancient Rome.

The tour reinforces the work of the Foundation to advance the appreciation and understanding of this unparalleled collection and the rich cultural heritage it represents. The Foundation’s mission is carried out through a continuous joint effort between the public and private sectors, including with the cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Culture. The Foundation is supported by a longstanding collaboration with Bvlgari as the principal sponsor of the restoration project since its inception in Rome and throughout the global tour, and Chiomenti, who has lent invaluable support to the Foundation’s core activities.

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