Two concurrent exhibitions at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth explore the American West from distinct perspectives. "Richard Avedon at the Carter" marks the 40th anniversary of Avedon's landmark 1985 series "In the American West," featuring 124 unflinching portraits of working-class subjects like oilfield workers and ranchers, alongside archival photographs by Laura Wilson that show the project's human side. Across the hall, "East of the Pacific: Making Histories of Asian American Art" presents 48 works from the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, spanning from the 1849 gold rush to the present, highlighting Asian American artists including Bernice Bing, Roger Shimomura, Chiura Obata, and Toshiko Takaezu.
The exhibitions matter because they collectively challenge romanticized narratives of the American West, offering instead a grittier, more inclusive view. Avedon's portraits, which sparked mixed reactions in 1985—from praise in Texas Monthly to criticism in The Atlantic—now resonate with a darker contemporary American mood. Meanwhile, "East of the Pacific" addresses historical racial discrimination, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese American internment, while celebrating thriving Asian American communities, broadening the story of the West beyond its traditional frontier imagery.