Happy 40th Birthday SAMA.

Following a $7.2 million renovation of the former Lone Star brewery alongside the bank of the Museum Reach of the San Antonio Riverwalk, the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) officially opened on March 1st 1981. After its days as a brewery, the building, at various times, was a cotton mill, an auto repair business, and an ice factory before it became SAMA 40 years ago.

SAMA Building: courtesy of timeout.com

The Museum offers important permanent collections spanning 5,000 years, and includes Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities, Asian art, Latin American art, from the collection of former Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller and Robert K. Winn, Oceanic art, contemporary art and American paintings….a total of over 30,000 pieces.

In the contemporary galleries, works of internationally recognized artists share prominence with notable Texas and regional art.

Once you explore inside, visit the “Scholar’s Rock” outside on the banks of the river. This limestone rock was donated by the Chinese Government, and is a gift from San Antonio’s Chinese sister city Wuxi. It is officially called the Taihu Rock. 

Scholar’s Rock: courtesy of samuseum.org

The limestone rock, which represents the harmony between man and nature, weighs 6.5 tonnes, and was mined from the shores of Lake Taihu, near Wuxi. The rock was officially unveiled on November 6th 2019.

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SAMA Trivia: Hundreds of valuable contributions to the San Antonio Museum of Arts came from lawyer and philanthropist Gilbert Denman. 

Gilbert Denman: porterloring.tributes.com

His travels around the world, and his interest in all cultures, had a profound influence on him. Later, he subsequently donated his extensive collection of Greek and Roman artifacts to the San Antonio Museum of Art. The collection, among the finest of its type in the nation, is housed in the Denman Gallery of the Ewing Halsell Wing at the museum. He also donated hundreds of pieces from the Oceanic region. 

For some years, Gilbert Denman lived right on the San Antonio Riverwalk, above the former Gourdough’s Restaurant at 215 Losoya. It was here that he housed many of his valuable antiques and collectibles, until they found a permanent home at SAMA.

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