Organized as a collaboration between the McNay’s curators, Recycled, Repurposed, Reborn focuses on collages on paper, panel, and canvas, as well as wall-hung and free-standing assemblage sculptures and hybrids of the collage and assemblage aesthetic. The two- and three-dimensional works draw from all parts of the museum’s extensive collection including Pablo Picasso’s Guitar and Wine Glass of 1912, one of the masterpieces of the McNay’s collection, which was included in Mrs. Marion Koogler McNay’s founding bequest in 1950 and has served as a foundation for the museum’s collection.

Collage and assemblage are key developments in modern art. The imaginative combining of disparate, often ephemeral materials to create a work of art has become a popular approach for artists and for the public who are fascinated by the making of something extraordinary out of something ordinary through the placement and the relationships created.

“We have focused our acquisitions on collage and assemblage because it is a major aspect of making art for so many artists,” said Dr. William Chiego, Director of the McNay Art Museum. “The phenomenon of taking a variety of materials not thought of as art, everyday materials – paper, sheet music, wallpaper, newspaper – and applying different artistic techniques to create a work of art has become a mainstay in contemporary art.”

This exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, and theatre arts all melded together. It was organized by the McNay Art Museum’s four curators, William J. Chiego, Director; René Paul Barilleaux, Chief Curator/Curator of Art after 1945; Jody Blake, Curator, Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts; and Lyle Williams, Curator of Prints and Drawings.

The Elizabeth Huth Coates Exhibition Endowment and the Arthur and Jane Stieren Fund for Exhibitions are lead sponsors. The Director’s Circle and the Host Committee are providing additional support.