Cowboy
Courtesy The Amon Carter
Of all the pursuits 19th-century life could offer, being a cattle herder or vaquero must have been one of the most physically unforgiving and sublimely solitary. The enduring appeal of the cowboy may be in no small part due to our vantage point, our overtaxed life that affords few moments to daydream or gaze at an endless expanse.
Despite what largely European and white American film directors portrayed in the early decades of cinema, cowboy culture was a diverse mix of Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian, and, yes, sometimes white cattle herders. The Amon Carter Museum of American Art’s new exhibit, Cowboy, brings together 60 contemporary works (including a few recent commissions) to give a more honest and nuanced depiction of cowboy culture — then and now.
Untitled by Richard Prince features a work by a painter and photographer who used rephotographing methods like blurring, cropping, and enlarging to blur the lines between fiction and reality. The Amon Carter’s selection of his hallucinatory work depicts a nondescript cowboy set in planar view rushing headlong toward the right of the frame, rope in hand.
The Amon Carter exhibit will not end the myth of white exceptionalism, but we can at least enjoy a lovely and well-researched exhibition that depicts Western culture honestly in a city that should know a thing or two about cowboys.
Cowboy Runs Thru March 23, 2025
Stay Social with the Amon Carter’s Tea & Tours | Cowboy and Dario Robleto: The Signal
Looking for a delightful way to spend an afternoon? Guests are invited to the Carter for Tea & Tours. Attendees will discover the latest exhibitions and then unwind in The Lounge with tea, delicious treats, and engaging conversations among friends.
Participants will explore the exciting new exhibition, Cowboy, featuring 28 diverse artistic interpretations of cowboy life that will deepen their appreciation of this iconic persona. Additionally, they will delve into Dario Robleto: The Signal, which invites visitors to consider the significance of the “messages in a bottle” that humanity leaves behind.
RSVP by email or call 817-989-5060.