San Antonio art lovers get two exhibitions in one at the McNay Art Museum this season. Two Faced: An Exhibition of Artists’ Portraits, in Two Parts, on view in the Charles Butt Paperworks Gallery from September 3, 2026, through March 14, 2027, takes a joyful deep dive into the museum’s permanent collection, exploring how artists have depicted themselves and one another since 1799.
The installation brings together printed, drawn, painted and sculptural portraits and self-portraits representing 50 visual and performing artists. Visitors will meet Paul Gauguin’s Portrait of the Artist with the Idol, from about 1893, Barbara Carrasco’s portrait of Tina Modotti, Max Beckmann’s self-portrait with a bowler hat, Andy Warhol’s Merce Cunningham II and the frontispiece Francisco de Goya made for Los Caprichos in 1799, alongside work by Henri Matisse, Käthe Kollwitz, Diane Gamboa, Cecilia Paredes, Diego Rivera, Francisco Toledo, Vincent Valdez and Carrie Mae Weems.
There is a delightful reason to visit twice. The first part, on view through November 29, 2026, features double portraits, distorted likenesses and images that reference other artists. The second part, opening December 17, 2026, refreshes the works on paper with portraits of the artist at work, portraits with pets and images where familiar objects stand in for the artist’s body.
Organized by Elizabeth Kathleen Mitchell, the museum’s Head of Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Prints and Drawings, the show is a warm invitation to see familiar masters — and San Antonio’s own collection — with fresh eyes at the McNay, 6000 N. New Braunfels Avenue.
Photo: McNay Art Museum
