Mary Bonner: A Round-Up of Texas Art

Mary Bonner is the focus of this exhibit. She was a Texas treasure whose work is sought after and prized by collectors. She was very active in the San Antonio Art League in the 1920s and ‘30s. The San Antonio Art League owns 18 of her etchings, which were a gift to us from her sister, Emma Bonner. It is a treat to share them with the public as the centerpiece in this show.

The other works in this show are also from our Permanent Collection. They were chosen because of what they are not. They are not pieces from the famed Edgar B. Davis collection which the Art League owns (those will be shown this summer in our TriCentennial exhibit). They are not necessarily famous pieces. But they were “rounded up” from our Permanent Collection of over 600 pieces to complement the work of Mary Bonner.

Bonner loved sketching landscapes, water and ships, and animals, especially horses. You will see those themes throughout all the pieces in this exhibition. Note the dates of acquisition for each artwork and compare the treatment of these themes across the decades. As in any good round-up, you’ll find an interesting variety, some well-known, some less so, but each one chosen for a reason.