The Amon Carter Museum of American Art’s recent acquisition is all about celebrations. The museum will host its own celebration of this acquisition with an exhibition centered around the new series of photographs titled Seven Days: The Still Lifes of Chuck Ramirez. This exhibition will be on view July 26, 2025 - Jan. 4, 2026.
The Fort Worth museum recently announced the acquisition of Seven Days, a 2003 series of artworks by Texas artist Chuck Ramirez (1962–2010). This vibrant and evocative series highlights seven community-centered celebrations in Texas, from a child’s birthday party to a vibrant Día de los Muertos feast. The Carter is the only museum to own the full set of seven Chuck Ramirez photographs in their collection.
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“We are delighted to welcome Chuck Ramirez’s powerful and thought-provoking photographs into the Carter’s collection,” said Andrew J. Walker, Executive Director of the Carter. “Ramirez’s photographs are both visually striking and deeply poignant, highlighting the significance of community gatherings and shared traditions. This acquisition strengthens our commitment to showcasing the diverse narratives of American art, and we are thrilled to offer visitors a chance to engage with Ramirez’s remarkable vision this summer.”
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SIGN UP Born to a Mexican American father and White American mother, San Antonio-based artist Chuck Ramirez crafted visually striking and conceptually rich photographs that examine themes of heritage, memory, community, and material culture. His work frequently transforms everyday objects into poignant reflections on identity and loss, influenced by his background in graphic design and his personal experiences as a person living with HIV. Ramirez’s series captures the remnants of community gatherings—tables laden with food, decorations, and leftover party detritus—as poetic reflections on memory, culture, and the fleeting nature of pleasure and life itself.
Seven Days: The Still Lifes of Chuck Ramirez offers an unprecedented look at these seven large format photographs acquired by the Carter and provides audiences with an opportunity to explore Ramirez’s unique vision and artistic legacy. Each photograph portrays a still-life scene of food and leftovers after a celebration, composed with a visual language reminiscent of seventeenth-century Dutch and Spanish still-life paintings.
Ramirez’s works have a distinctive Texas flavor. Inspired by his career as a graphic designer for H-E-B, the legendary Texas-based grocery store chain, Ramirez’s works reflect his deep understanding of advertising, consumerism, and cultural identity. The photographs include familiar Texas and Mexican food products and brands, such as a cup from San Antionio restaurant Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, a Topo Chico glass bottle, and Lone Star Beer can. These objects create a tangible connection to Texan and Tejano culture while also evoking universal themes of celebration and loss.
The Scene
In addition to the seven photographs, this exhibition will also feature a three-dimensional ofrenda, or altar, inspired by Ramirez’s favorite holiday, Día de los Muertos. This ofrenda will be a recreation of one Ramirez made in 2004 and will remain on view for the duration of the exhibition. Created around a vintage stove as a dedication to Ramirez’s grandmother, this ofrenda will serve as a space for reflection and community engagement. Museum visitors will have the opportunity to create a paper marigold in remembrance of a loved one and add their flower to the ofrenda.
“Seven Days demonstrates the contemporary relevance and conceptual power of the still life, a genre well represented in the Carter’s painting and photography collections,” said María Beatriz H. Carrión, Assistant Curator of Photographs at the Carter. “Moreover, the works will introduce visitors to an important yet still underrepresented artist whose work celebrates the depth of Texas popular culture while inviting viewers to reflect on their existence.”
Learn more: Amon Carter Museum of American Art
