Off the Walls: Prints from Prof. John A. Robertson at the Blanton Museum

A new exhibit now open at the Blanton Museum showcases the late Professor John A. Robertson’s dynamic and highly personal collection of artworks on paper.

Professor Robertson, a beloved a member of the Law School faculty for over 35 years and holder of the Vinson & Elkins Chair, was a leading scholar of bioethics, among other specialties. He was also a passionate collector of art, a passion he gladly shared with the Texas Law community, curating dozens of pieces from his collection to grace the walls of the fifth and sixth floors of Jones Hall.

Upon his death in 2017, much of Robertson’s collection was bequeathed to the Blanton. The new exhibit, Off the Walls, celebrates that incredible bequest by displaying for the first time in public a wide-ranging selection of modern and contemporary prints, drawings, collages, and photographs. The exhibit features pieces by Michael Ray Charles, Sue Coe, Philip Guston, Dorothy Hood, Terry Winters, Glenn Ligon, Peter Saul, and Richard Serra—many of which will be on view for the first time.

Robertson’s singular passion for collecting, and his distinctive approach to amassing the 90 pieces that went to the Blanton, are the subject of a dedicated resource with reflections by Richard Shiff and Jonathan Bober, the Andrew W. Mellon Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, as well as an annotated checklist of the exhibition. That resource can be explored here.

The exhibit closes on March 14, 2021. Review visitation policies and reserve your museum tickets here.

Category: Faculty Contribution, Faculty News