Egyptian collection: First floor of the Nancy Brown Negley West Tower

Greek and Roman collections: The Ewing Halsell Wing

Ancient Near Eastern collection: Fourth floor of the Nancy Brown Negley West Tower

The San Antonio Museum of Art houses one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of ancient Egyptian, Near Eastern, Greek and Roman art in the southern United States. 

The Egyptian collection represents nearly 4,000 years of civilization, from the Predynastic through Roman periods. A colossal statue of the goddess Sekhmet greets visitors to the Egyptian galleries. Other highlights of the collection include a remarkable Fourth Dynasty portrait of a woman carved of diorite and a group of twenty-eight relief sculptures from Amarna, the capital city of the Eighteenth Dynasty king Akhenaten. Among important works representing later phases of Egyptian history is a large, exquisitely preserved bronze votive statuette depicting a lion-headed goddess. Intricately carved cylinder seals and a silver bowl from Achaemenid Persia are highlights of the collection of ancient Near Eastern art. 

The centerpiece of the museum’s holdings of Greek art is a substantial collection representing the major developments in Greek vase-painting, with particular concentrations in Attic black- and red-figure and south Italian vessels. The museum's Roman sculpture collection, displayed in the breathtaking Denman Gallery, encompasses portraits, funerary sculpture, and mythological subjects. Especially noteworthy are several statues formerly in the collections of British nobility, including four from the celebrated Lansdowne collection (portraits of the emperors Trajan and Marcus Aurelius, a bust of a woman, and a Cupid and Psyche) and the sleeping Ariadne from Wilton House. Another strength of the collection is a large group of Greek and Roman glass vessels from the eastern Mediterranean.

The Lenora and Walter F. Brown Asian Art Wing

SAMA’s collection of Asian art is housed in a 15,000-square-foot suite of galleries which opened in 2005. Over the past 70 years, the collection has grown to include over 2,000 works from China, India, Japan, Korea, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Spanning 6,000 years of Asian art history, this collection is internationally recognized as a center of excellence.

The Chinese collection is the most extensive of the Museum’s Asian art holdings. Comprised primarily of fine ceramics and porcelain, the collection also includes archaic bronze vessels, furniture, textiles, cloisonné and various decorative arts. The Liao dynasty ceramics collection is among the largest outside China, while the Imperial Chinese Art Gallery boasts a strong collection of Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasty ceramics that includes all major ware types. Stunning installations of a Scholar’s Studio and a Woman’s Bedroom offer an intimate glimpse into the arts of Imperial China.

The Japanese art collection at SAMA includes masterpieces of lacquer and painting by Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891), excellent paintings and screens from the Edo period (1603-1868), and a wide variety of decorative objects. Indian sculpture and Tibetan Buddhist bronzes and paintings highlight the artistic achievements of South Asia and the Himalayas. The Museum’s small yet impressive collection of Korean art includes fine examples of medieval ceramics. The Southeast Asian Art Gallery contains noteworthy works by Vietnamese and Thai ceramicists over several millennia. The Asian Art Special Exhibitions Gallery, located on the second floor of the Asian Art Wing, offers rotating exhibitions throughout the year.

 

Second floor, Elizabeth Huth Coates East Tower

The Museum’s contemporary collection reflects the richness and diversity of art of the recent past. Included are significant works by pioneering abstract artists of the twentieth century, among them Hans Hofmann, I. Rice Pereira, Helen Frankenthaler, Frank Stella, Philip Guston, Richard Diebenkorn, Sam Gilliam, Alberto Mijangos and Mark DiSuvero. Contrasting with these examples of modern and contemporary abstraction are representational works by Philip Pearlstein, George Segal, Don Eddy and Wayne Thiebaud.

The collection also contains significant works by artists who have gained importance since the1980s, among them Donald Lipski, Vernon Fisher, James Surls, Luis Cruz Azaceta, Jack Goldstein, Arnold Mesches, Vik Muniz, and Dario Robleto.  Multicultural and identity issues are well represented in works by Faith Ringgold, Luis Jimenez, Kara Walker, Michael Ray Charles, Rolando Briseño, Franco Mondini-Ruiz and many others.  A new area of collecting is digital photography and new media.   

Fourth floor and mezzanine of Elizabeth Huth Coates East Tower

The European painting, sculpture and decorative arts collection of the San Antonio Museum of Art includes Italian, French Dutch and British works from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries. The Ferguson collection of Wedgwood is of unique importance, mirrored by the outstanding collection of Irish Silver amassed and donated to the museum by John Rowan. Gilbert Denman’s bequest left another small but significant group of paintings to the museum, among which The Woodcutters by Puvis de Chavanne is particularly notable. William Adolphe Bouguereau's Admiration, a prime example of late nineteenth-century academic painting, is another favorite from our collection. Admiration was awarded the highest honors in the Paris Salon of 1899, when Bouguereau was at the height of his fame.

Fourth floor of the Nancy Negley West Tower

The Museum's collection of Islamic art represents the artistic achievements of north Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia in the centuries following their conquest by Arab Muslims in the seventh century. Focusing on material from Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Central Asia, the collection represents the rich tradition in the visual arts of these countries from the medieval period to the present day. The collection was largely formed through gifts from Frederick and Frances Wilkins, Lenora and Walter F. Brown, and Margaret Cullen Marshall, with the addition of glass from the Stark-Willson collection.

Highlights of the collection include such early works as a ninth or tenth century Qur'an page written in Kufic script and an elegant pierced perfume sprinkler fashioned of violet glass with flowing white patterns. The collection also includes representative examples of Islamic ceramics ranging from unglazed water jars from medieval Iran to the colorful Iznik dishes produced in Ottoman Turkey.

 

The Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Latin American Art

The San Antonio Museum of Art has one of the most comprehensive collections of Latin American art in the United States. The collection spans 4,000 years and contains paintings, sculpture, works on paper and other objects from Mexico, Central America, South America and countries of the Caribbean. It also contains an important collection of Spanish folk art from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries.   

The beginning of the Latin American collection goes back to the 1920s when the art collection was part of the San Antonio Museum Association located at what is now the Witte Museum. In 1981, when the Museum of Art opened in a new and separate complex, special galleries were dedicated to Pre-Columbian and Spanish art. In 1998, the Museum inaugurated the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Latin American Art, a 30,000-square-foot building dedicated exclusively to Latin American art. The Pre-Columbian art gallery is comprised of three main sections, Mesoamerica, Central America and the Andes, each arranged in chronological order. The Spanish Colonial/Republican gallery includes paintings, sculpture, silver, furniture, ceramics and textiles from Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and other parts of Latin America, as well as important paintings and decorative objects from the Republican Period of the nineteenth century. The Modern/Contemporary gallery features contemporary work from all over Latin America; highlights include excellent paintings from the Social Realism movement in Mexico during the first half of the twentieth century and good examples of work by leading members of the School of the South, centered in Uruguay. Finally, the Latin American Folk Art gallery contains one of the most important collections of its type in the world and is divided according to function.

Fourth floor,  Nancy Brown Negley West Tower

The Museum's collection of Oceanic Art comprises the visual arts traditions of numerous cultures scattered throughout the vast expanse of the Middle and South Pacific. The sculptural art of Papua New Guinea and French Polynesia are particularly well represented at SAMA. Most of these objects were acquired by Gilbert M. Denman, Jr., the noted collector of Greek and Roman art. Aboriginal Australian, native Hawaiian and Maori objects are also included in the Oceanic Collection.

The abstract designs appearing on the many of the works of art from this region are encoded with metaphysical content and may denote complex narratives related to tribal mythology. The true meaning of the images is often limited to members of a specific religious group, elders and the initiated. When viewed outside of the traditional context, Oceanic art conveys a surprisingly modern or contemporary aesthetic. The Basketry Figure of a Wild Pig (above) from the Sepik River region of Papua New Guinea is a favorite with visitors of all ages. 

Make SAMA your classroom with a school tour led by one of our knowledgeable docents. Select a theme below to learn more and register for your tour online.

• Guided tours are 50 minutes long.
• Two week's advance reservation is required.
• SAMA can accommodate 30-60 students per time slot. Special accommodations will be made for larger groups.
• At least 1 chaperone is required per 10 students. Chaperone must be 18 years or older.
• Students, teachers, and chaperones will be admitted to the museum for free.
• Space may be reserved for students to eat their bag lunches.
• If you need to cancel your tour reservation, please notify the Tour Scheduler at (210) 978-8138. If you are running late on your tour day, please notify the museum’s front desk at (210) 978-8100.
• Ask about our bilingual tour guides.

 

University and college faculty are encouraged to bring their classes to SAMA. These visits are tailored to the needs and interests of faculty and students and complement classroom learning. Select a theme below to learn more and register for your tour online.

• Guided tours are offered throughout the year on Tuesdays-Sundays during normal Museum hours.
• Guided tours are 1 hour long.
• Two week's advance reservation is required.
• SAMA offers guided tours to groups of 10 or more.
• Admission fees are $5 per Student and Faculty member with valid student IDs. St. Mary's University, Trinity University and University of the Incarnate Word students, faculty and staff receive free admission to the Museum with their school IDs through their SAMA Corporate Memberships.
• If you need to cancel your tour reservation, please notify the Tour Scheduler at (210) 978-8138. If you are running late on your tour day, please notify the museum’s front desk at (210) 978-8100
• Ask about our bilingual tour guides.

Wednesday Workshops are two-hour educational experiences consisting of a specialized guided tour of the galleries followed by a hands-on project that is related to the culture and theme.

• Wednesday Workshops are 2 hours long.
• Two week’s advance reservation is required.
• Wednesday Workshops are offered throughout the school year on Wednesdays from 9:45 -11:45 AM.
• SAMA can accommodate 15-30 students per time slot. Special accommodations will be made for larger groups.
• SAMA requires at least 1 chaperone per 10 students. Chaperone must be 18 years or older.
• Funding is available to cover the admission fees of $3 per student/chaperone upon request.
• Space may be reserved for students to eat their bag lunches.
• If you need to cancel your tour reservation, please notify the Tour Scheduler at (210) 978-8138. If you are running late on your tour day, please notify the museum’s front desk at (210) 978-8100
• Ask about our bilingual tour guides.