Friends of The
ELISABET NEY MUSEUM
“Shall not our dwellings… reflect in reality the loveliness of our artistic dreams?”
Celebrating the life and work of Elisabet Ney, the wildly iconoclastic German sculptor who moved to Austin, Texas in 1892…
The museum is housed at the artist’s home and studio, “Formosa.” Through tours, exhibitions and events for the whole family, Elisabet Ney’s fascinating art, history and legacy come alive.
The Elisabet Ney Museum houses the World’s largest collection of this remarkable woman’s work, spanning the 1850s through her death at the site in 1907, along with furnishings and ephemera. The Museum also exhibits contemporary artists in the building as well as on the grounds, which feature a Historic Landscape Restoration replicating what Elisabet Ney found and fell in love with when she arrived here in 1892.
Carve Your Path…
The Artist
In 1892, European portrait sculptress Elisabet Ney (1833-1907) purchased property in Austin, established a studio named Formosa and resumed her career as a noted sculptor…
The House & Collections
At the turn of the 19th century, Elisabet Ney’s studio became a gathering place for influential Texans drawn to “Miss Ney” and to the stimulating discussions of politics, art and philosophy that took place there. Following Ney’s death in 1907, her friends preserved the studio and its contents as the Elisabet Ney Museum and established the Texas Fine Arts Association dedicated to her memory.
The Landscape
Situated on 2.5 acres in Austin’s National Register Historic Neighborhood of Hyde Park, approximately half of the site is planted as a recreation of the prairie biome that existed on the site when she arrived here. Extensive work was undertaken to make the landscape as original as possible, with invasive species removed and replaced with native species throughout. This includes grasses, trees, and wildflowers. Much of the year it is a gold mine for pollinators, as many of the plants that are here are rarely found off-site, especially within the city limits.
Past Exhibitions
Alongside Elisabet Ney’s art, the museum hosts contemporary exhibitions by Texas women artists.
Alejandra Almuelle: “De Tierra”
ON VIEW FROM MAY 25 TO JULY 30, 2023
Alejandra Almuelle’s newest exhibition, “De Tierra”, asks the viewer to look at her work in conversation with Elisabet Ney's classically-inspired sculptures. Both female artists are inspired by the intricacies of the figure but separated by the time span of over a hundred years and geographical backgrounds. Originally from Peru, Almuelle's ceramic figurative sculptures exemplify the biological archive of experience through the human form. Working in clay is an important component to Almuelle’s work and speaks to the medium's historical significance and utilitarian properties as well as its connection to the earth. While Ney was a classically trained artist, her use of clay is strictly a means to an end, ultimately creating works in Italian marble. Throughout the museum, both artist’s artworks are re-contextualized as it is presented on and among the original furnishings of Formosa and side by side with one another.
Deborah Mersky: "The Path I Took"
ON VIEW FROM MARCH 30 TO MAY 14, 2023
Through painted and stitched works, Mersky retraces memories of a childhood in Austin spent wandering along creeks and railroad tracks. She combines these abstracted sensory memories with versions of her current daily walking routes; leading to visual/tactile translations of an untamed world close at hand. Mersky describes these paper and textile artifacts as direct evidence of her days, past and present. For more information on the artist's work, visit: https://deborahmersky.com/.
Annie May Johnson: “the Mother the Witch the Hysteric”
ON VIEW FROM JANUARY 26 TO MARCH 19, 2023
Come experience the new exhibition at the Elisabet Ney Museum, the Mother the Witch the Hysteric by Annie May Johnston! The Museum continues to present local contemporary female identifying artists within the walls of Miss Ney’s former studio, Formosa. This spring, the Ney welcomes Johnston as she works in collaboration with Elisabet Ney’s striking sculpture of Lady Macbeth. Johnston’s unique printmaking practice employs new technologies alongside traditional processes. Considering gendered traits, the supernatural and pseudo-science, her new artwork combines images and interpretations of Lady Macbeth, Elisabet Ney, and herself. This exhibition is in partnership with PrintAustin, an artist-led nonprofit organization working to showcase traditional and contemporary approaches in printmaking.
Renee Lai & Rosa Nussbaum: "The Bathing of the Sphinx"
ON VIEW FROM NOVEMBER 5, 2022 TO JANUARY 15, 2023
"The Bathing of the Sphinx" consists of a video installation in the main gallery and a sculptural element and reflection pond on the museum's grounds. Through this exhibit, the artists connect their own experiences involving art, land and femininity to Elizabet Ney’s personal history. The exhibit will open as part of the Austin Studio Tour 2022.
Cindy Elizabeth: EVE
ON VIEW FROM AUGUST 4 TO OCTOBER 30, 2022
Eve is an homage to all the women, girls, and femmes who, like Elisabet Ney, have shaped and are still shaping the landscape of Central Texas. Mostly captured over the course of the pandemic, this collection of images showcases portraits of Black women and girls, who are central to the culture of Austin and yet are often erased and dissociated from the culture they have created. Eve is a celebration of the presence, work, and beauty of Black women in Austin; to disrupt white supremacist culture as much as to credit Black women for their contributions to the arts and fashion.
Rehab El Sadek: SECRET PLACE
ON VIEW FROM JUNE 18 TO JULY 31, 2022
“Secret Place” is a site-specific installation created to be a meditation on the internal solitude inherent to the immigrant experience. El Sadek utilized sculpture, photography, and everyday objects to create this body of work. The fragility of individual and collective memories is demonstrated through installation materials in various states of aging and deterioration. El Sadek’s heritage is also reflected in some of the materials, especially those used in Egypt for healing, protection, and conservation.
Liv Monique Johnson: SUSPENSION
ON VIEW THROUGH MARCH 18, 2022
“Suspension" is a unique 3D immersive print installation which invites the viewer to explore an outcropping of unexpected wilderness where the weird may take place. Screen-printed elements and a variety of materials combine to create a lush room-full of colorful foliage, culminating in a suspended moment; a focal point of ultimate potential. Surrounded by abundance, this core allows for a quiet confrontation with the unknown
Marie Ely: Ongoings
Infused with crisp West Texas air, "Ongoings" is an enigmatic collection of photo/collage/paintings/prints by Texas artist Marie Ely.
Reweave: 2021 by Jade Walker
Mire + Mend, Jade Walker’s Arts Respond outdoor installation, remains in place, inviting visitors to add to the healing fabric of our community, while Birdsong, the indoor portion of this exhibition, is no longer onsite. Virtual versions of both are linked below.
Join Us!
There are loads of ways you can help us share Elisabet’s art, progressive vision, love of nature, and embrace of tolerance.
For fun family activities you can do at home, please visit the Museum’s main website and scroll down the page for online programming and upcoming event information.
Stay well, and thank you! SURSUM!
The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance please contact (512) 974-3914 or Relay Texas 7-1-1.
Note: Many of the portraits and personal memorabilia in the Elisabet Ney Museum form the Elisabet Ney Collection of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center of the University of Texas at Austin. Any reproduction rights and citations must indicate proper attribution. Please contact the Elisabet Ney Museum for details.
Catherine Lee’s Hebrides #6, Clach an Trushal, 2004, fabricated and patinated bronze, appears on loan courtesy of The Contemporary Austin