Nevada Museum of Art personnel were deeply saddened by the sudden loss of actor Bill Paxton. First introduced to the Nevada Museum of Art, Donald W. Reynolds Center for the Visual Arts, E. L. Wiegand Gallery in 2003, Paxton and his parents, John and Mary Lou Paxton, became steadfast friends with the cultural institution’s curators and executive staff. In 2006, John and Mary Lou promised a bequest of their art collection to the museum. To honor the couple’s generosity, that same year the museum mounted an exhibition and produced a catalogue titled “Selections from the John and Mary Lou Paxton Collection.” John Paxton passed away in 2011, and Mary Lou in 2016. The official announcement of the realized bequest was to be made later this year at the museum during a special celebration with Bill Paxton, following a spring exhibition of his parents’ collection. “The John and Mary Lou Paxton Collection: A Gift for the Nevada Museum of Art” opened on Feb. 26, one day after Bill's untimely passing, and will remain on view through Sunday, June 4, at the Nevada Museum of Art, Donald W. Reynolds Center for the Visual Arts, E. L. Wiegand Gallery, located at 160 W. Liberty St. in downtown Reno, Nev. This exhibition is presented in memoriam of Bill Paxton (1955-2017).
The John and Mary Lou Paxton collection showcases a lifelong collecting passion, spanning a variety of international as well as regional artists. Works by American artists Nathan Oliviera, David Ligare, and Wolf Kahn contrast with the Bauhaus-inspired works of Herbert Bayer and the minimal abstractions of American painter Frederick Hammersley. These abstract works balance against the Paxtons’ interest in art of the American Southwest, including Fritz Scholder, Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith, and Randy White.
“The works are more than paintings to me; they are my memories of growing up in my parents’ home,” said Bill Paxton in September 2016.
Growing up in Missouri in the 1940s, John Paxton became fascinated with art when famous American Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton moved in next door. The Paxtons and Bentons became fast friends; John even posed for Benton in the painting “Shipping Out” (1942), now in the collection of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.
In the 1950s, John and Mary Lou moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where John joined the board of the Fort Worth Art Museum and the couple began to build their intensely personal collection of contemporary art. After moving to the San Diego area in 1980, the Paxtons continued to visit galleries, often meeting and becoming friends with the artists whose works they collected. The lifelong pursuit resulted in a significant collection ranging from representational paintings to abstract pieces.
The relationship between the Paxtons and the Nevada Museum of Art began in 2003 and grew from a shared affinity for and interest in the West. Visiting Reno several times over the years, the Paxtons became impressed by the museum’s growing collections, Reno community, and Will Bruder-designed facility that pays homage to the northern Nevada landscape. Over the past decade, the Nevada Museum of Art was fortunate to develop a close friendship with the Paxton family.
“While the museum mourns the loss of this lovely couple and their son, we celebrate John and Mary Lou’s thoughtful and generous gift to the Nevada Museum of Art and our community,” said David B. Walker, Nevada Museum of Art executive director and CEO.