Opening August 2026, The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol combines nearly 100 historical and contemporary works that follow the statue’s story over 150 years, including a rare early cast of Bartholdi’s masterwork.
Fort Worth, TX— In August 2026, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (the Carter) will premiere The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol, an examination of the Statue of Liberty’s enduring relevance in American visual culture and the evolution of its image from the 1870s to the present. Bringing together nearly 100 artworks and objects from more than 70 artists, the exhibition explores the statue’s varied manifestations—from artistic marvel and pop culture icon to symbol of immigration, patriotism, and resistance—and how successive generations of artists, including Pacita Abad, Benny Andrews, Edward Moran, Norman Rockwell, Nari Ward, and Andy Warhol, have represented its iconic form over the past 150 years. Co-organized with the Denver Art Museum, The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol will open at the Carter on August 16, 2026, and be on view through January 3, 2027, before its presentation in Denver.
“This monumental exhibition tells the story of how our nation has interpreted the Statue of Liberty not only as a national icon, but also as a reflection of American values, creativity, and identity throughout our collective history,” said Scott Wilcox, Interim Director of the Carter. “Premiering The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol in Fort Worth on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding invites our community to see this emblematic statue in new dimensions.”
The exhibition is anchored by a rare cast of French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s bronze sculpture Liberty Enlightening the World (Statue of Liberty) (1894-1901), one of only five domestic-scale bronze reductions made during the artist’s lifetime. The cast was acquired by the Carter in 2024, and is highlighted in the first of four sections that comprise the exhibition. These include:
Creating a Monument (1865-1917) focuses on the statue’s origins and initial public reception in the tumultuous decades between the American Civil War and World War I. Introducing the early history of the Statue of Liberty, an idea conceived, in the wake of the American Civil War, and presenting early iterations of the icon, “Creating a Monument” lays the groundwork for Bartholdi’s vision of the monument as an enduring testament to Franco-American friendship and shared values of liberty and freedom.
Creating an Icon (1917-1962) mimics the way that society and visual culture were inundated with Statue of Liberty imagery between World War I and the 1950s by immersing visitors within a tightly hung installation of newspapers, advertisements, lithographs, images, films, and paintings, that mark the turning point in the statue’s transformation into a dominant American icon.
Transforming an Icon (1962-2001) explores pop art and reproductions of the statue’s imagery, demonstrating its increasing detachment from its original image and malleability as an American symbol. In the 1960s, artists including Andy Warhol elevated the statue to pop icon and a trove of artists followed suit by creating new meanings of the figure through increasingly altered depictions of its image.
The exhibition closes with a selection of works by living artists who have continued to investigate the Statue of Liberty’s meaning in the 21st century. Featuring Nari Ward’s Lazarus alongside works by artists such as Craig George, Diego Romero, Paola Pivi, and Hank Willis Thomas among others, the coda demonstrates the statue’s continued relevance for artists working today and how it remains a powerful lens for interpreting American values and identities.
“As the preeminent allegory of the United States, the Statute of Liberty has time and again been a symbol ripe for experimentation by a range of dynamic artists,” said Andrew Eschelbacher, Director of Collections & Exhibitions and the exhibition’s curator. “The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol not only traces the statue’s evolution in our society’s conscience but also supports the Carter’s broader mission to present American art in all its richness and complexity for our community.”
Through rare artifacts, historic photographs, captivating artworks, and cultural touchpoints, visitors will see how the Statue of Liberty’s image shaped — and was shaped by — generations of Americans. The exhibition highlights the monument’s influence in art, politics, immigration, and popular culture, offering a deeper look at why she remains a beacon of promise in the American imagination.
Admission is always free. To learn more about the Carter, visit The Carter HERE.
