The Kimbell Art Museum will host a free family festival and celebration on Saturday, October 8, from 1 to 7:30 p.m., in honor of its 50th anniversary. This community event will feature family-friendly activities, films, performances, food from local vendors and free admission to the special exhibition Murillo: From Heaven to Earth. Fort Worth-based singer-songwriter Abraham Alexander, whose “soulful, blues-style voice brings listeners into a personal journey, evoking emotion in the deepest sense” (NPR Music), will take the stage at 5:30 p.m.
“I am delighted to celebrate this enormous milestone with our Fort Worth community,” said Eric M. Lee, director of the Kimbell Art Museum. “An icon from its start, the Kimbell has come to represent a high standard of excellence that is reflected in our collections, exhibitions, architecture and programs. Our anniversary celebrations are designed with and for the members of our diverse community — whose continued support over the last half century has contributed to making the museum the renowned institution it is today.”
From 1 to 4 p.m., the festival will kick off with sweet treats to mark the anniversary, along with a series of performances on the grand lawn by local entertainers including Taiko drummers, Flamenco dancers and more. In the Piano Pavilion, audiences will enjoy interactive classical Indian dances performed by Austin-based choreographer Anuradha Naimpally and lively tales with author and storyteller Toni Simmons. Visitors may pose for free portraits by professional photographers in the Noguchi courtyard and participate in ongoing gallery and studio activities.
From 4 to 7:30 p.m., light bites will be available for purchase from local food truck vendors, including Magdalena’s and Heim Barbeque, and there will be a cash bar provided by the Kimbell Café. At 4 p.m., local band Cotinga will take the main stage, followed by the soulful international sensation Abraham Alexander.
Museum galleries will remain open until 5 p.m. The full schedule of programming will be available at kimbellart.org/50.
Tickets are free but required for all attendees, including Kimbell members, adults, children and infants. Free ticket reservations will be available through Eventbrite beginning August 15, 2022, at kimbellart.org/50.
The festival concludes a week of daily anniversary events (October 4 through 7), with each day focusing on significant aspects of the museum's history and programs.
Anniversary Week Schedule (October 4–9)
Admission and audio tours for the special exhibition Murillo: From Heaven to Earth will be free all week. Tickets will only be available in person at the museum box office.
Anniversary kick-off reception and opening of The Kimbell at 50 special exhibition
Tuesday, October 4, noon–5 p.m.
Architecture tours, Louis I. Kahn film screenings and open studios
Wednesday, October 5, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Architecture tours, Renzo Piano film screenings and open studios
Thursday, October 6, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Music and happy hour in the Louis I. Kahn Building, plus a special teacher program in the education studios
Friday, October 7, 4–7 p.m.
Kimbell members will receive a unique commemorative gift each day for attending (while supplies last). Visit kimbellart.org/50 for a full list of events.
About Abraham Alexander
Born in Greece to parents of Nigerian descent, Abraham Alexander moved to Texas with his family at age 11, determined to escape the racial tensions they faced in Athens. While his lyrics speak to pain and trauma and life-changing loss, Alexander instills a joyful passion and irrepressible spirit, ultimately giving way to songs that radiate undeniable hope.
In the making of his debut EP, Alexander traveled from Fort Worth to London and worked with producer/songwriters like Cameron Warren (The Dap Kings, Dan Caplen), shaping his songs with elements of soul, hip-hop and blues. He is currently working on his follow-up album.
EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW
Opening October 4, 2022
Louis I. Kahn Building
Learn about the history of the Kimbell Art Museum in this special exhibition. Archival materials and photographs chronicle memorable events in the history of the Foundation and museum, including the design and construction of the Louis I. Kahn Building and the Renzo Piano Pavilion. An interactive digital presentation will enable viewers to revisit outstanding acquisitions, noteworthy exhibitions and rewarding community experiences — reflecting the pillars of excellence that have endured for 50 years at the Kimbell Art Museum.
Admission to The Kimbell at 50 is free.
September 18, 2022–January 29, 2023
Renzo Piano Pavilion
Murillo: From Heaven to Earth celebrates the genre paintings of one of the most renowned painters of the Spanish Golden age: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682). While Murillo is primarily known for his religious subject matter, some of his most iconic works depict secular themes. For the first time in Spanish art, ordinary people — beggars, street urchins and flower girls — convey the cultural narratives and written tales of Murillo’s time. Comprising more than 50 works, the exhibition explores themes of youth and age, comedy, romance and seduction, faith and charity, landscape, portraiture and modern realism.
The exhibition is organized by the Kimbell Art Museum. It is supported in part by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Admission to Murillo: From Heaven to Earth is free October 4 through 9, 2022.
SLAY: Artemisia Gentileschi and Kehinde Wiley
Closing October 9, 2022
Louis I. Kahn Building
Witness women in dramatic acts of courageous defiance and female empowerment as depicted by the celebrated Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi and acclaimed American contemporary artist Kehinde Wiley. Realized 400 years apart, the two strikingly different paintings of the same subject, Judith beheading Holofernes, invite discussion about gender, race, violence, oppression and power — issues that have remained relevant from the 17th century to today.
The exhibition is organized by the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Kimbell Art Museum, and The Museum Box.
Admission to SLAY is free.