Must-see art

New perspectives abound at 10 must-see art exhibits in Dallas-Fort Worth for May

June isn't here yet, but art is busting out all over. Landmark exhibits at Fort Worth's Kimbell Art Museum and Amon Carter Museum of American Art, community events in Deep Ellum and Carrollton, and several collaborative group exhibitions are among the must-see art happenings in Dallas-Fort Worth in May.

There's also one bummer gallery closure in downtown Fort Worth, but they're going out with a grand party and everyone's invited.

Put these 10 must-see exhibits and events on your list before month's end.

"Tempus Peregrinari: A Time Travel Exhibition"
Bathhouse Cultural Center, through June 3
Paintings, prints, photographs, video, and mixed media art explore the concept of time travel in this exhibit featuring Texas artists and guest artists from Poland, Belgium, and New York. Works range from themes in science fiction to whimsical and purely imaginary. A collaboration with the Dallas Public Library offers suggested reading to accompany the visual art experience.

"Diverse Perspectives" by M4 Collective
Granville Art Center, through June 5
Four American women comprise this collective of mosaic artists. Their work covers a range of diverse styles, materials, and visions in an art form that has been around for millennia. Join them for an opening reception at the Granville Arts Center in downtown Garland at 6 pm Tuesday, May 23.

"Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art"
Kimbell Art Museum, through September 23
The creators of this art from the Classic period (A.D. 250-900) depict the gods of Maya mythology which flourished in what is now Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Sculptures, vessels, and precious ornaments on loan from major Latin American, U.S., and European collections illustrate this facet of the Mayan culture. New discoveries from Palenque (Mexico) and El Zotz (Guatemala) are among the works on view in the U.S. for the first time.

"we are more"
Patterson-Appleton Arts Center, through May 26
The community group "we are more" was established to assist survivors of family and intimate partner violence in various stages of their recovery. Much of their work is collaborative and the exhibit includes art from multiple disciplines. One of the works, Broken Record, is a mosaic assembled from broken record pieces contributed by local community members. Each piece bears a word or phrase that explains how the contributor or a loved one is more. The arts center will host a reception with the artists on Friday, May 19 at 6:30 pm.

"Dark & Lovely II"
Kettle Art, opening May 20
In the spring of 2010, the original Kettle Art featured the work of four female Dallas artists in a show called "Dark and Lovely." This long-awaited sequel is an all-female group exhibition curated by artist Alicia Chapman. Artists Bree Smith, Chapis, Claudia Rivera, Eli Paek, Ferfetz, and RayTrill add their perspectives to the show, as well.The exhibition opens with a reception at 6 pm on Saturday, May 20.

"The Tipping Point: Echoes of Extinction"
Amon Carter Museum of American Art, May 20, 2023-May 1, 2024
Part of a multi-year outdoor sculpture program, this exhibition on the grounds of the Carter Museum focuses on endangered or extinct bird species. Each sculpture provides a visualization of a bird species that has reached a tipping point, and each includes a QR code containing an audio file of the bird's song.

Carrollton Chalk Art Festival
Mary Heads Carter Park, May 20
You'll have to look down to get the perspective at this event. Professional and amateur chalk artists will transform the sidewalks of this park in Carrollton with everything from whimsical wonders to eye-popping 3-D art. The free and family-friendly festival runs from 10 am-3 pm on Saturday, May 20.

Liz Ward: "The Grove"
Holly Johnson Gallery, through July 29
San Antonio-based artist Liz Ward creates works on paper inspired by her travels. Using trees as metaphors and bringing to life the awe and mysticism of Mexican cenotes, Ward explores the meaning of landscape through layers of human, natural, and environmental history, memory, and experience. The gallery will hold an opening reception with the artist from 5-8 pm Saturday, May 20.

Nancy Baron: "The Good Life"
Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery, through August 19
A happy jaunt back in time to Palm Springs in the 1950s, this exhibition delivers the colors and style of the Mid-Century Modern period in vibrant photographs taken over the last 13 years. Baron's books include The Good Life: Palm Springs, Palm Springs: The Good Life Goes On, and Palm Springs: Modern Dogs at Home, and all illustrate how a nostalgic period lives on in modern day. Baron will be available to sign books at an artist reception on Saturday, May 20 from 5-8 pm.

Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair
May 27-29
A new festival celebrates 150 years of history in Deep Ellum with curated exhibits, concerts, food, and more. Hundreds of local artists will be part of this Memorial Day weekend celebration. Hours are 11 am-10 pm Saturday and 11 am-8 pm Sunday and Monday. Visit the website, Facebook event page or Instagram for more information.

Amon Carter Museum of American Art presents Elizabeth Turk's "The Tipping Point: Echoes of Extinction" Elizabeth Turk (b. 1961), Bald Eagle, 2022, aluminum, powder coated opalescent white, Courtesy of the artist and Hirschl & Adler Modern,

Photo by Eric Stoner, Elizabeth Turk

Amon Carter Museum of American Art opens Elizabeth Turk's "The Tipping Point: Echoes of Extinction" on May 20.

Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair exhibitions-visual-arts galleries

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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New perspectives abound at 10 must-see art exhibits in Dallas-Fort Worth for May

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