Blog Archives

In conjunction with Roaming Mexico: Laura Wilson comes this captivating, intimate exhibition featuring the work of the influential Mexican photographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo (1902–2002), one of the most important artists in 20th-century Latin America. His work captures the soul of Mexico through striking compositions that blend surrealism, modernism, and documentary traditions. A contemporary of luminaries such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Edward Weston, Álvarez Bravo’s photography reflects the complexities of Mexican identity, often juxtaposing the everyday with the enigmatic. The exhibition will feature more than 30 silver gelatin prints spanning from the 1920s to the 1980s, drawn from both the Meadows’ own collection and those of esteemed institutions in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Together, these images offer a compelling window into the artistic and cultural landscape of 20th-century Mexico.

This exhibition has been organized by the Meadows Museum and is funded by a generous gift from The Meadows Foundation. Promotional support provided by NBC 5 / Telemundo 39 and the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District.

Tuesday-Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursdays until 9:00 p.m.
Monday CLOSED
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day

$12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

For four decades, the wilds of the American West have served as a key source of inspiration for renowned Dallas-based documentary photographer Laura Wilson (b. 1939). Her images of the people living and working “out west” (“out” meaning removed from modern American life) on ranches, Native American reservations, rodeos, and rural high schools are intimate yet distant. Indeed, as ever, the West is populated with characters defined by their distance, by their landscapes and lifeways that stand in sharp contrast to the familiar claustrophobia of urban and suburban America. There is, likewise, a kind of otherworldliness to Wilson’s West; it is a marginal (if nested) place. Her images reside “on the edge,” to paraphrase the renowned historian of medieval art Michael Camille, and we imagine the person behind the lens herself straddling the boundary between outsider and insider in a foreign land.

The challenge, of course, is how to define a much-mythologized American West that has forever been emphatically heterogenous, fiercely independent, and rife with the complexities of frontier life. For most of its history, the West (loosely defined as the land west of the Great Plains) was, moreover, not part of the United States. Lines on maps made by politicians as far away culturally as they are geographically have shaped conflict and coexistence in the region for centuries. And even the most powerful lines prove permeable. For over two hundred years, the most dramatic example of this has been the Mexico–United States border, which extends nearly two thousand miles between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. No wonder that the ranchers, fire-breathers, and children of this liminal zone captured Wilson’s attention from her very first visit to Laredo and Nuevo Laredo in the early 1990s.

For Laura Wilson, Mexico has always been a key chapter of this story. While her early published work focused on life along the Mexico–U.S. border, this exhibition will introduce viewers to a more comprehensive if deeply personal vision of our southern neighbor. It brings together over thirty years’ worth of images documenting Wilson’s sojourns across Mexico and areas just beyond its northern border. Some work she created as recently as this year and especially for this exhibition. The nearly ninety photographs, which will also be presented in an accompanying book, offer a unique perspective of a multifaceted Mexico seen through Wilson’s eyes. They capture colorful festivals, traditional farms, and the poetry of everyday life. The viewer is therefore presented not with one Mexico—defined, for example, by its northern border, its religiosity, or rural populations—but with a nuanced, often contradictory view of a land of dynamic contrasts.

This exhibition has been organized by the Meadows Museum and is funded by a generous gift from The Meadows Foundation. Promotional support provided by NBC 5 / Telemundo 39 and the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District.

Tuesday-Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursdays until 9:00 p.m.
Monday CLOSED
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day

$12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

This symposium brings together scholars who will present recent research on the sixteenth-century painter Fernando Yáñez de la Almedina, subject of the current exhibition Yáñez: Saint Sebastian Revealed. Space is limited, register online in advance.

Friday, April 17 | 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Keynote Lecture

Miguel Falomir, Director, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Saturday, April 18 | 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Presentations

Cristina Aldrich, Center for Spain in America Curatorial Fellow, Meadows Museum

Borja Franco Llopis, Professor, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid

Patricia Manzano Rodríguez, Curator, Meadows Museum

Luis Rueda Galán, Mellon Curatorial Fellow, Meadows Museum

Peter Van de Moortel, Chief Conservator, Kimbell Museum of Art

$10 for both days combined; free for SMU students/faculty/staff and members at the Individual level and above.

This spring marks the fiftieth anniversary of the museum’s acquisition of Fernando Yáñez de Almedina’s exquisite panel painting Saint Sebastian (c. 1506), one of the most exceptional creations of the Spanish Renaissance. A scientific analysis of the painting explores the influence of Italian aesthetic trends on Iberian art around the turn of the sixteenth century.

This exhibition has been organized by the Meadows Museum, SMU, Dallas, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum’s Conservation Department. A generous gift from the Mellon Foundation with additional support from The Meadows Foundation has made this exhibition and study possible.

Tuesday-Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursdays until 9:00 p.m.
Monday CLOSED
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day

$12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

Hailing from one of Spain’s most illustrious artistic dynasties, Raimundo de Madrazo (1841–1920) was a renowned painter of high society, with a successful career that spanned from the salons of Belle Epoque Paris to the Gilded Age mansions of New York. With more than 60 paintings and works on paper from collections across the globe, this first-ever retrospective of Madrazo’s work celebrates an artist whose life and art epitomized the cosmopolitan sophistication of his age as one of the most important genre painters and portrait artists at the turn of the early twentieth century.

This exhibition has been organized by the Meadows Museum, SMU, Dallas, and Fundación MAPFRE, Madrid, and is funded by a generous gift from The Meadows Foundation. Promotional support is provided by the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District.

Tuesday-Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursdays until 9:00 p.m.
Monday CLOSED
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day

$12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

In this third iteration of the MAS program, the Meadows presents the first U.S. solo exhibition dedicated to the Spanish painter Rubén Guerrero (b. 1976). Guerrero’s work blurs the boundaries between abstraction and figuration, using layered geometric forms and bold color to challenge the viewer’s perception of space.

This exhibition has been organized by the Meadows Museum, SMU, Dallas, in collaboration with Fundación ARCO, Madrid, and is funded by a generous gift from The Meadows Foundation, with additional support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain, through the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID), alongside the Embassy of Spain in the United States. Promotional support is provided by the Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District.

Tuesday-Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursdays until 9:00 p.m.
Monday CLOSED
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day

$12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

El 47 (The 47), 2024

Directed by Marcel Barrena

Spanish Cinema Now+ “Premios Goya” showcases contemporary Spanish cinema by screening three films recognized at the 39th Goya Awards. The series was organized by the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, DC, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), and the Spanish Film Academy, and is presented in Dallas by the Meadows Museum in collaboration with Dallas Film.

Set in the late 1970s, this film celebrates real-life bus driver Manolo Vital, who performed an act of civil disobedience for his own working-class neighborhood. Tired of the Barcelona City Council claiming that public transportation couldn’t reach the impoverished area of Torre Baró because its streets were too narrow and unsafe, Manolo hijacks his own bus, “el 47,” and reroutes it to prove the authorities wrong. El 47 received the awards for Best Film, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress at the 39th Goya Awards.

Spain’s Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts rates this film ICAA 7+ (not recommended for audiences under seven years of age), but the Meadows Museum screening is intended for mature audiences only.

Catalan and Spanish with English subtitles | 100 minutes

Space is limited, register online in advance.

Free

La virgen roja (The Red Virgin), 2024

Directed by Paula Ortiz

Spanish Cinema Now+ “Premios Goya” showcases contemporary Spanish cinema by screening three films recognized at the 39th Goya Awards. The series was organized by the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, DC, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), and the Spanish Film Academy, and is presented in Dallas by the Meadows Museum in collaboration with Dallas Film.

Based on actual events in 1930s Spain, this film centers on the young prodigy Hildegart Rodríguez Carballeira, who was conceived and raised by her mother, Aurora, as a eugenicist experiment to create the prototypical woman of the future. Under the grip of the obsessive and controlling Aurora, the brilliant Hildegart becomes conversant in multiple languages and a published authority on female sexuality while still a teenager. At 18, longing for freedom, she meets someone who helps her explore a new emotional world and break away from her mother, who will stop at nothing to prevent Hildegart from leaving her. La Virgen Roja was nominated for Best Director and Best Supporting Actress and received the award for Best Art Direction at the 39th Goya Awards.

Spain’s Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts rates this film ICAA 12+ (not recommended for audiences under twelve years of age), but the Meadows Museum screening is intended for mature audiences only.

Spanish with English subtitles | 114 minutes

Space is limited, register online in advance.

Free

Kathryn Piña, soprano; Josefina Maldonado, mezzo-soprano; José Miguel, tenor; Rey Winn, baritone; Astrid Morales, pianist; and Camila Urquiza-Hernández, cello

Art and music converge in this celebration of Hispanic creativity and heritage. Presented in collaboration with the Santelices Foundation and Meadows School of the Arts’ Division of Music, this concert brings together an all-Hispanic cast of distinguished musicians performing Spanish-language and instrumental works inspired by the museum’s collection. The program begins with a featured performance in the Gene and Jerry Jones Great Hall and continues with a series of immersive performances in the upstairs galleries, culminating in a heartfelt a cappella finale among the artwork. This special concert marks the first anniversary of the Santelices Foundation, a Dallas-based nonprofit dedicated to education, cultural exchange, and the advancement of Hispanic representation in the arts.

$10; free for SMU students/faculty/staff and Meadows Museum members at the Individual level and above.

According to an old adage, before you leave the house you should look in the mirror and remove one accessory. This spring, Spotlight Talks will focus on the accessories that made the cut and what they convey about their wearers. Join a docent for a 20-minute talk exploring these accoutrements and the tales they tell. Each program will take place in the museum’s galleries at the featured work of art, which this month is Ignacio Zuloaga y Zabaleta’s Portrait of the Duchess of Arión, Marchioness of Bay (1918). Advance registration is not required.

The program is free with regular museum admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

The Meadows Museum’s Book Club Tours bring art and literature together. Read our 2025–26 selection, Attribution by Linda Moore, either with your book club or on your own. Then visit the museum for a docent-led tour that connects the novel to works on view in our galleries. You can join this scheduled public tour or book a private tour for your own club at meadowsmuseumdallas.org/groups-tours. Tours begin in the museum’s lobby.

The program is free with regular museum admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

Private tours are $15 per person, except when scheduled Thursday evenings after 5:00 p.m.

According to an old adage, before you leave the house you should look in the mirror and remove one accessory. This spring, Spotlight Talks will focus on the accessories that made the cut and what they convey about their wearers. Join a docent for a 20-minute talk exploring these accoutrements and the tales they tell. Each program will take place in the museum’s galleries at the featured work of art, which this month is Ignacio Zuloaga y Zabaleta’s Portrait of the Duchess of Arión, Marchioness of Bay (1918). Advance registration is not required.

The program is free with regular museum admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

According to an old adage, before you leave the house you should look in the mirror and remove one accessory. This spring, Spotlight Talks will focus on the accessories that made the cut and what they convey about their wearers. Join a docent for a 20-minute talk exploring these accoutrements and the tales they tell. Each program will take place in the museum’s galleries at the featured work of art, which this month is [attributed to] José Casado del Alisal’s Portrait of a the Duke of Medinaceli (after 1864). Advance registration is not required.

The program is free with regular museum admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

According to an old adage, before you leave the house you should look in the mirror and remove one accessory. This spring, Spotlight Talks will focus on the accessories that made the cut and what they convey about their wearers. Join a docent for a 20-minute talk exploring these accoutrements and the tales they tell. Each program will take place in the museum’s galleries at the featured work of art, which this month is [attributed to] José Casado del Alisal’s Portrait of a the Duke of Medinaceli (after 1864). Advance registration is not required.

The program is free with regular museum admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

According to an old adage, before you leave the house you should look in the mirror and remove one accessory. This spring, Spotlight Talks will focus on the accessories that made the cut and what they convey about their wearers. Join a docent for a 20-minute talk exploring these accoutrements and the tales they tell. Each program will take place in the museum’s galleries at the featured work of art, which this month is Bartolomé González y Serrano’s Portrait of a Lady (1602). Advance registration is not required.

The program is free with regular museum admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

According to an old adage, before you leave the house you should look in the mirror and remove one accessory. This spring, Spotlight Talks will focus on the accessories that made the cut and what they convey about their wearers. Join a docent for a 20-minute talk exploring these accoutrements and the tales they tell. Each program will take place in the museum’s galleries at the featured work of art, which this month is Bartolomé González y Serrano’s Portrait of a Lady (1602). Advance registration is not required.

The program is free with regular museum admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

According to an old adage, before you leave the house you should look in the mirror and remove one accessory. This spring, Spotlight Talks will focus on the accessories that made the cut and what they convey about their wearers. Join a docent for a 20-minute talk exploring these accoutrements and the tales they tell. Each program will take place in the museum’s galleries at the featured work of art, which this month is Rodrigo de Sajonia’s (called Master of Sigena) Adoration of the Magi (c. 1519). Advance registration is not required.

The program is free with regular museum admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

According to an old adage, before you leave the house you should look in the mirror and remove one accessory. This spring, Spotlight Talks will focus on the accessories that made the cut and what they convey about their wearers. Join a docent for a 20-minute talk exploring these accoutrements and the tales they tell. Each program will take place in the museum’s galleries at the featured work of art, which this month is Rodrigo de Sajonia’s (called Master of Sigena) Adoration of the Magi (c. 1519). Advance registration is not required.

The program is free with regular museum admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, $4 for non-SMU students, free for members, free for youth under 18*
*Free museum admission for youth 18 and under is made possible by a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee.

Looking for a fun break from studying? Drop by the Meadows Museum the first Thursday of the month to tap into your hidden creativity during a relaxing evening of making with friends, no art skills required! Snacks and sodas provided. This program is exclusively for SMU Student Members of the Meadows Museum. Not a Student Member of the Meadows Museum yet? Join for free here or at the door.

Free; current SMU ID required

Looking for a fun break from studying? Drop by the Meadows Museum the first Thursday of the month to tap into your hidden creativity during a relaxing evening of making with friends, no art skills required! Snacks and sodas provided. This program is exclusively for SMU Student Members of the Meadows Museum. Not a Student Member of the Meadows Museum yet? Join for free here or at the door.

Free; current SMU ID required

Looking for a fun break from studying? Drop by the Meadows Museum the first Thursday of the month to tap into your hidden creativity during a relaxing evening of making with friends, no art skills required! Snacks and sodas provided. This program is exclusively for SMU Student Members of the Meadows Museum. Not a Student Member of the Meadows Museum yet? Join for free here or at the door.

Free; current SMU ID required