The McNay Art Museum announced on April 15 that it will present the exhibition “Garden Party: Nature on Paper” from May 7 through August 9. The show explores how humans interact with and influence the natural world, featuring works from the museum’s permanent collection by artists such as René Magritte, Rufino Tamayo, Kara Walker, Luis Jiménez, and Honoré Daumier.
The exhibition is organized by Elizabeth Kathleen Mitchell, Ph.D., who was appointed head of curatorial affairs in February. According to the museum, “Garden Party” unfolds in two parts: one highlights nature’s offerings—lush gardens and abundance—while the other examines human intervention through themes like hunting and extraction. These perspectives aim to provide a layered view of nature as both a source of beauty and tension.
Mitchell said, “From lush gardens to more complex and challenging imagery, ‘Garden Party’ reflects the many ways artists engage with the natural world. It is an opportunity for visitors to slow down, look closely and think about how we coexist with the environment around us.”
Beyond gallery displays, the exhibition includes a series of “Between Two Prints” videos shared across McNay channels. Visitors can also attend related programs such as Second Thursday on May 14—a free community event featuring live music by Vanita Leo—and Family Day on June 7 with garden walks led by gardener Alex Zavala.
Other exhibitions running concurrently include “untitled: 20 Years of Collecting Contemporary Art” and “Angelica Raquel: Mystic Threads,” which showcases fiber-based works inspired by folklore until July 5. Support for “Garden Party” comes from the Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992.
The McNay Art Museum was established in a Spanish Colonial Revival residence built in the 1920s by Marion Koogler McNay. Since opening as Texas’ first modern art museum in 1954, it now welcomes about 200,000 visitors annually.