Tony Foster: Watercolour Diaries from the Green River
October 26, 2024 - May 4, 2025
Exhibition open October 26, 2024 – May 4, 2025
Artist Tony Foster became fascinated with the 50-million-year-old Green River fossilized fish when he first saw them in 1985. It was from these small special objects that he comprised the idea to make a group of artworks about the Green River. He began his project in 2018, creating a major painting of Steamboat Rock and the horseshoe bend from his vantage point up a 400 foot cliff. In the summer of 2019 he took a rafting trip from the Gates of Lodore to Split Rock, creating five smaller paintings en route. From these initial works he created this exhibition about, in Foster’s words: “this magnificent river.”
The Green River is a major tributary of the Colorado River and runs through the states of Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. Beginning in the Wind River Mountains, the Green River holds a special spot in the hearts of those living near the Colorado Plateau, where the river has carved a breathtaking landscape of canyons that have lush covering of greenery at their base. Foster’s watercolor paintings, with notes, diaries, maps, and symbolic objects captures the majesty of this local landscape from its geological prehistory to the story of Native American and Western Settlement.
Organized by The Foster Museum, Palo Alto, CA.
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Staff Picks
Through May 10, 2026Curating this exhibit has been an exercise in collaboration, which is one of our core values at the Museum. We began by asking each staff member to make a short list of some of their favorite works in the collection. Then, the curatorial team took them to see a few of those pieces. We asked the staff to look for artworks that were not already on display and would not be part of any upcoming exhibitions. A person’s taste in art is so uniquely personal and individual to who they are. This exhibition is not only an opportunity for you to get to know our staff, but it is also a chance to discover new pieces in the permanent collection—or perhaps to see old favorites in a new light.
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Two of a Kind?
Through April 26, 2026This exhibition is an exercise in comparison. It invites visitors to consider pairs of artworks, drawn primarily from the Museum’s permanent collection, and contemplate the question posed by its title: are these artworks truly Two of a Kind?
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