Thanks to the internship I picked up for the Western Art Academy, a four-week painting and sculpting college credit course for high school students, I was able to visit the reclusive Brinkman Collection located on the South side of Kerrville.
A private collection, the Brinkman Mansion is art all on its own. Driving up the shady incline, the pavers create a visual suspense that breaks when the Mansion appears over the hill. The white facade contrasts the Texas Blue skies, and the fountain trickles happiness over its edges, which reflects the hot summer sunlight. Almost like a wink at the visitors.
Walking inside the grand foyer, the attention to detail does not stop. There are beautiful wooden and marble floors, which was the industry of choice and fortune for Mr. Brinkman. Then I looked up at the walls.
Western art fills almost every square inch of the hallways, living areas, sitting rooms, offices... The board room itself hosts well over a dozen paintings and several bronze sculptures. Here is where we take a pause to listen to our guide speak about the progression of technique and style of artist G. Harvey, referencing six priceless paintings on the long wall in front of the students.
I take the time to describe this all in detail to you because the chance of anyone visiting the Brinkman is little to null. This is because the passing of Mr. Lloyd Brinkman last year led to less and less tours of the home to the public, and some of the pieces in the collection are being sold. The actual division of estate among his children with a total of seven wives has been anything but pretty.
Read his obituary here.
Returning to the collection, everything from the landscapes of Texas to the way of life of Comanches, Apaches and more Texas Native American tribes. All is featured in the expansive collection of Mr. Brinkman.
As a designer, seeing the collection was eye-opening for me, especially since I haven't really dug into Western art. I have visited some key galleries in Fredericksburg, and met some great artists in person, but the true diversity of the genre was revealed to me in this visit.
I am sorry to not have gotten images of the estate, since cameras are prohibited. But since there is little on the Mansion or its contents online, and its future is wavering more each day, I hope my recollection can also inspire you in the way I was inspired to appreciate fine art even more.
A great place to view Western Art that I have also been to is the Museum of Western Art, aptly named. It is also located in Kerrville, Texas.
