The New York Historical Announces Transformative Gift of Indigenous Masterworks Ahead of Nation’s 250th Anniversary

In commemoration of the nation’s approaching semiquincentennial, The New York Historical has announced that the 222-year-old institution has received a landmark promised gift of modern and contemporary Indigenous art from Board Chair Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and her husband, Oscar Tang. As the first beneficiary of a portion of the Hsu-Tang Collection of modern and contemporary art, the museum will present these works in the exhibition House Made of Dawn: Art by Native Americans 1880 to Now, Selections from the Hsu-Tang Collection, on view from April 22 through August 2, 2026.

The promised gift encompasses works by more than 100 artists representing diverse Indigenous nations and communities. Artists include Nampeyo of Hano (Tewa), Maria Martinez (San Ildefonso), Angel De Cora (Ho-Chunk), Zitkala-Ša (Yankton Dakota), Awa Tsireh (San Ildefonso), Gerónima Montoya (Ohkay Owingeh), the Kiowa Six, Acee Blue Eagle (Muscogee), Helen Hardin (Santa Clara), Lee Marmon (Laguna), Fritz Scholder (Luiseño), Allan Houser (Apache), T.C. Cannon (Kiowa), Earl Biss (Crow), Billy Soza War Soldier (Luiseño), Linda Lomahaftewa (Hopi), Harry Fonseca (Nisenan), Frank LaPena (Nomtipom-Wintu), Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith (Salish), Emmi Whitehorse (Navajo), Linda Haukaas (Sicangu Lakota), Anita Fields (Osage), Rick Bartow (Wiyot), Roger Broer (Oglala Lakota), Joe Baker (Lenape), Preston Singletary (Tlingit), Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti), Courtney Leonard (Shinnecock), Frank Buffalo Hyde (Onondaga), Dakota Mace (Diné), Kapulani Landgraf (Kānaka Maoli), Tom Jones (Ho-Chunk), Jeffrey Gibson (Choctaw/Cherokee), and many others. The collection spans a wide range of media, including painting, watercolor, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography, textiles, basketry, mixed media, ceramics, glass, precious metals, and rare books.

A special preview installation currently on view features select highlights from the collection, including Fritz Scholder’s lithograph Indian Contemplating Columbus, an American flag woven by an unidentified Navajo artist, and Cara Romero’s photograph Dans L’ombre.

Reflecting on the exhibition’s title, Dr. Hsu-Tang noted that N. Scott Momaday’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel House Made of Dawn inspired her as a college student to travel across the United States. She recalled being awed by landscapes such as Shiprock and Antelope Canyon and described the exhibition’s title—drawn from Momaday’s work and referencing a Navajo invocation for reconciliation—as an invitation to meaningful dialogue during the nation’s 250th anniversary. She and Oscar Tang, she said, are honored that their promised gift will support The New York Historical’s mission to advance history and civics education through a deeper understanding of Native American art.

Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical, expressed gratitude for the gift, noting that it builds upon the institution’s recent efforts to foreground Indigenous cultural expression. She cited the critically acclaimed 2023 exhibition Kay WalkingStick / Hudson River School as an example of the museum’s commitment to expanding artistic and historical discourse and illuminating the essential role of Indigenous histories in shaping the United States.

Named for Momaday’s 1969 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, which inspired the Native American focus of the Hsu-Tang Collection, the exhibition traces distinct expressions of modernism by Indigenous artists from the late 19th century to the present. Early figures include master ceramists Nampeyo of Hano and Maria Martinez; professional painters and illustrators Angel De Cora and Hart Lone Wolf Schultz (Blackfeet); and writer, composer, and activist Zitkala-Ša.

The exhibition also highlights foundational works on paper by Awa Tsireh, Julian Martinez, Quah Ah Tonita Peña (San Ildefonso), Gerónima Montoya, Tse Tsan Pablita Velarde (Santa Clara), Acee Blue Eagle, Archie Blackowl (Cheyenne), and members of the Kiowa Six, among others, who developed and advanced the celebrated “Flat Style” and achieved international recognition, including at the 1932 Venice Biennale.

Mid-20th-century modernist pioneers Oscar Howe (Yanktonai Dakota) and George Morrison (Ojibwe) are represented, alongside later artists such as Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith and Emmi Whitehorse, members of the influential collective Grey Canyon Artists (1977–1981).

The exhibition further underscores the legacy of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) through works by three generations of artists connected to the institution, including Fritz Scholder, N. Scott Momaday, Allan Houser, T.C. Cannon, Earl Biss, Linda Lomahaftewa, Billy Soza War Soldier, Joy Harjo (Muscogee), Dam Namingha (Hopi), David Bradley (Chippewa), Anita Fields, Cara Romero, Diego Romero (Cochiti), Courtney Leonard, and Frank Buffalo Hyde, among others.

In addition, the exhibition marks the first time that significant works by photography pioneer Lee Marmon (Laguna) will be shown at a New York museum, including a rare first edition of his iconic 1954 photograph White Man’s Moccasins.

The exhibition is curated by Wendy Nālani E. Ikemoto (Native Hawaiian), vice president and chief curator, in consultation with Dr. Hsu-Tang as collector. Works from the Hsu-Tang Collection will also appear in other installations and in the forthcoming exhibition Democracy Matters, to be presented in the new Tang Wing for American Democracy, opening in 2026.

Programming
On April 22, Chief Curator Wendy Ikemoto will moderate a special conversation celebrating the exhibition’s opening. Participants include artist Cara Romero; Steven Gonzalez, representing the estate of Fritz Scholder; Dakota Hoska (Oglála Lakȟóta), Curator of Native American and Global Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Art; and Agnes Hsu-Tang. Together, they will discuss the state of contemporary Indigenous art.

Support
Exhibitions at The New York Historical are made possible by the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts, with support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET serves as media sponsor.