Hotel Texas
The story of a bittersweet, impromptu art exhibition for President and Mrs. Kennedy
The events associated with John F. Kennedy’s death are etched into our nation’s memory. This fascinating book tells a less familiar part of the story, about a special art exhibition organized by a group of Fort Worth citizens. On November 21, 1963, the Kennedys arrived in Fort Worth around midnight, making their way to Suite 850 of the Hotel Texas. There, installed in their honor, was an intimate exhibition that included works by Monet, Van Gogh, Marin, Eakins, Feininger, and Picasso. Due to the late hour, it was not until the following morning that the couple viewed the exhibition and phoned one of the principal organizers, Ruth Carter Johnson, to offer thanks. Mrs. Kennedy indicated that she wished she could stay longer to admire the beautiful works. The couple was due to depart for Dallas, and the rest is history.
This volume reunites the works in this exhibition for the first time and features some previously unpublished images of the hotel room. Essays examine this exhibition from several angles: anecdotal, analytical, cultural, and historical, and include discussions of what the local citizens wished to convey to their distinguished viewers.
Distributed for the Dallas Museum of Art and Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Exhibition Schedule:
Dallas Museum of Art
(05/26/13–09/15/13)
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
(10/12/13–01/12/14)
Olivier Meslay is associate director of curatorial affairs at the Dallas Museum of Art. Scott Grant Barker is a cultural historian who specializes in the art history of the city of Fort Worth. David Lubin is the Charlotte C. Weber Professor of Art at Wake Forest University. Alexander Nemerov is the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Provostial Professor in the Arts and Humanities at Stanford University.