"Lewis and Clark on the Lower Columbia," 1905 Charles M. Russell, Opaque and transparent watercolor over graphite underdrawing on paper, Amon Carter Museum of American Art

The Amon Carter Museum of American Art announced its 2012 exhibition schedule on Tuesday. A show featuring the water colors of Charles Russell kicks off the year on Feb. 11. The other shows on the schedule are: “Sargent’s Youthful Genius: Paintings from the Clark,” (March 11–June 17); “American Vanguards: Graham, Davis, Gorky, de Kooning and Their Circle, 1927–1942 (June 9–Aug. 19); and “To See As Artists See: American Art from The Phillips Collection,” (Oct. 6–Jan. 6, 2013).

Keep reading for more information on each show:

FORT WORTH, Texas—Amon Carter Museum of American Art Director Andrew Walker has announced the special exhibition schedule for 2012. The year opens with watercolor paintings by Charles M. Russell, one of the greatest artists of the American West. Spring brings an intimate show featuring four works by John Singer Sargent, and paintings and sculpture depicting the origins of Abstract Expressionism fill the galleries this summer. Rounding out the 2012 season is a unique exhibition from The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., that presents a trove of American masterworks from the late 19th and 20th centuries.

“The exciting year ahead tells the story of American art with an exhibition schedule that begins with the work of Charles M. Russell and leads us through mid-20th-century modernism,” says Walker. “Visitors will recognize many of the artists’ names, including Stuart Davis, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper and John Singer Sargent, but the artwork will give a fresh perspective into the social and cultural movements of our country from ­­1845 to 1968.”

SPECIAL EXHIBITION SCHEDULE

Romance Maker: The Watercolors of Charles M. Russell

February 11–May 13, 2012

More than 100 of the finest and best-preserved watercolors by Charles M. Russell (1864–1926) will be featured in this special exhibition. Never before have so many of these singular depictions of the Old West been brought together. Russell’s advice to a fellow artist to “sinch your saddle on romance” defined his work, where vivid subjects culled from his own youthful experiences were fused with the power of his artistic imagination to create unforgettable images of the mythic American frontier.

Romance Maker: The Watercolors of Charles M. Russell is organized by the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. The exhibition and publication are generously supported by BNSF Railway, the Peters Family Art Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Trevor Rees-Jones, the Sid Richardson Foundation and the Erwin E. Smith Foundation.

Sargent’s Youthful Genius: Paintings from the Clark

March 11–June 17, 2012

Four spectacular paintings by John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) on view in Sargent’s Youthful Genius: Paintings from the Clark are part of the renowned collection of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass. Sterling Clark’s discerning eye led him to acquire several works by Sargent, including the monumental painting Fumée d’Ambre Gris, which Clark purchased in 1914. Though intimate in scale, the exhibition provides insight into a remarkably talented young artist who achieved international acclaim by the time he turned 30.

Sargent’s Youthful Genius: Paintings from the Clark was organized by the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Mass.

American Vanguards: Graham, Davis, Gorky, de Kooning and Their Circle,

1927–1942

June 9, 2012–August 19, 2012

During the early 20th century, the enigmatic and charismatic John Graham (1886–1961) and his circle of New York artists, which included Stuart Davis, Arshile Gorky and Willem de Kooning, forged their identities and dramatically transformed conceptions of what a painting or sculpture could be. They, along with others in Graham’s orbit, such as Jackson Pollock and David Smith, played a critical role in developing and defining American modernism. American Vanguards showcases more than 60 works of art from this vital period that demonstrate the inter-connections, common sources, and shared stimuli among the members of Graham’s circle.

American Vanguards: Graham, Davis, Gorky, de Kooning and Their Circle, 1927–1942 was organized by the Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Mass. Generous support for this exhibition has been provided by the Henry Luce Foundation and by the Dedalus Foundation. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

To See As Artists See: American Art from The Phillips Collection

October 6, 2012–January 6, 2013

Founded by Duncan Phillips in 1918, The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., opened to the public in 1921 as America’s first museum of modern art. To See as Artists See is the first large-scale, traveling presentation of The Phillips’ celebrated collection of American art, chronicling the broad scope and richness of its holdings from 1850 to 1960. This landmark show featuring about 100 masterworks by more than 63 artists traces American art from the birth of the modernist spirit at the end of the 19th century through postwar American painting in the mid-2oth century. An astute collector, Phillips assembled much of his collection by patronizing contemporary artists, often buying a representative selection of their work. Because of the collection’s growth, in 1930 Phillips chose to give the entire 1896 house built by his parents to the museum, allowing visitors to encounter the art within the intimate spaces of his boyhood home.

The major paintings included in To See as Artists See celebrate the very best of late 19th-and 20th-century American art and draw fascinating parallels to the Amon Carter’s permanent collection. Amon Carter visitors will find familiar names among the artists in the exhibition, including Alexander Calder, Stuart Davis, Arthur Dove, Thomas Eakins, Marsden Hartley, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, Jacob Lawrence, John Marin and Georgia O’Keeffe. The exhibition was organized by The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.