Elisabet Ney Museum

Elisabet Ney Museum The Elisabet Ney Museum is the historic home & studio of German-American sculptor Elisabet Ney (January 26, 1833 – June 29, 1907) in Austin, TX. Thank you!
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Find out more about our events and programs at theney.org Note: The Elisabet Ney Museum has REOPENED again for our normal hours. Masks are encouraged for the time being. Admission as always is free! Please reach out if you need more information. Elisabet Ney (1833-1907) was a true pioneer of the arts. Born in middle-class Munster, Germany, she began her artistic journey as the first female student

at the renowned Munich Academy of Art followed by the Berlin Academy, then quickly gained acclaim and commissions from notable European influencers of all kinds. In her late 50s, she relocated to Austin as a cultural refugee, finding belonging in our city as a creative with progressive ideas, passion for dialogue, and a determined spirit. Today, the same ideals that Elisabet nurtured remain what makes this community unique. We are a city that sees value in expression, innovation, tolerance, and connection. When Elisabet created her studio, Formosa, it became the first bespoke art studio in Texas. By the turn of the 19th century, the creative space became a gathering place for influential Texans drawn to Elisabet and the stimulating discussions of politics, art and philosophy that took place there. This is the home of the historical gem we now call the Elisabet Ney Museum, that thousands look to each year for artistic, creative, and community-centric programming. The Mission of the Elisabet Ney Museum is to preserve the memory and legacy of Elisabet Ney (1833-1907) for educational, historical, and artistic purposes. The Vision of the Elisabet Ney Museum is to expand upon Elisabet Ney’s goal: to inspire humanity by creating unique visitor experiences that portray and attract a diverse audience and leave them challenged, uplifted, and positively motivated by their visit. The Elisabet Ney Museum is a City of Austin property, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is both a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark and a City of Austin Historic Landmark. It is also a founding member of Historic Artists Homes and Studios, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation; the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites; and the American Association for State and Local History’s Women’s History Affinity Committee. Finally, it is a cornerstone of Austin's Hyde Park National Register Historic Neighborhood. The Ney also features exhibitions of contemporary art both indoors and outdoors, largely of Austin-based women artists. It also features an active Native Prairie Historic Landscape recreation. For the latest on exhibition and event information, check the museum's page or website at www.elisabetneymuseum.org. The Ney's Instagram feed is found .

! This social media site shall not be used to submit open records requests to the City of Austin. Please direct open records requests to
http://austintexas.gov/pir. Here are some books to read if you want more info on Ney:


Cutrer, Emily Fourmy. The Art of the Woman: The Life and Work of Elisabet Ney. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1988. ISBN-10: 0803214383 ISBN-13: 978-0803214385

Loggins, Vernon. Two Romantics and Their Ideal Life. The Odyssey Press, NY, 1946

Keeton, Morris. The Philosophy of Edmund Montgomery, University Press, Dallas TX 1950

Rutland, Mrs. J.W., ed. Sursum! Elisabet Ney in Texas. Hart Graphics, Austin 1977

Stephens, Ira Kendrick. The Hermit Philosopher of Liendo. SMU Press, Dallas, 1951

Saylor, Stephen. A Twist at the End: A Novel of O.Henry and the Texas Servant Girl Murders of 1885, Simon & Schuster, NY, 2000 ISBN-10: 0684856816 ISBN-13: 978-0684856810

Taylor, Bride Neill. Elisabet Ney Sculptor. Thomas F. Taylor, Austin, 1938. This book appears to be in public domain now as there are many reprints available of it.

The Elisabet Ney Museum is excited to receive the Silver Medal in the Mitchell A.Wilder Publication Design Award Competi...
05/30/2026

The Elisabet Ney Museum is excited to receive the Silver Medal in the Mitchell A.Wilder Publication Design Award Competition for the Marketing Materials, Supplementary Materials, and Posters category.

This award was presented to the museum for the design of curriculum materials in the Breaking the Mold: Mobile Hands-On Art Crates at the TAM 2026 Award Ceremony in McAllen, Texas on April 19th.

The award is named in honor of one of the early advocates of excellence in museum publications, Mitchell A. Wilder (1913-1979), founding director of the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth. The Elisabet Ney Museum Education Staff are looking forward to bringing this program into local elementary schools and libraries again this fall. We also want to thank all of the creatives who helped make this program a success!

Sursum!

Texas Association of Museums

Volunteer day at the Ney this Saturday, May 30th (9am-12pm). 🌿We are making the last push to remove invasive Torilis fro...
05/28/2026

Volunteer day at the Ney this Saturday, May 30th (9am-12pm). 🌿

We are making the last push to remove invasive Torilis from the meadow at the Ney. We could really use the extra hands in this endeavor before the plant is truly terrible to deal with. Thank you for helping make the Elisabet Ney a beautiful space to visit!

🔗Sign up on GivePulse: https://givepul.se/orn9uy

Please wear long pants, close toed shoes, sun protection, and bring a full water bottle. This work requires crouching on the ground or using a short stool.

Please text Marsha Riti if you have any questions,
Elisabet Ney Landscape Educator and Specialist
512-669-0700

The Liendo Plantation 🏠When Elisabet traveled to Texas from Georgia in 1873 looking for a new home, she joined a wave of...
05/26/2026

The Liendo Plantation 🏠

When Elisabet traveled to Texas from Georgia in 1873 looking for a new home, she joined a wave of people seeking, like herself, to start a new life. Ney traveled alone, first by train to New Orleans, then, by steamer to Galveston where she contacted the German Consul, Julius Runge, for help in locating a suitable place for her family to live.

Ney was taken first to the historic Liendo Plantation with 1100 acres of rolling Texas prairie and oak forests near the town of Hempstead, “Six-Shooter Junction,” Texas. When Ney first saw the historic Greek-Revival house, then partially in ruins, she was immediately entranced. The story is told that she stepped out onto the second floor balcony, flung open her arms and cried, "Here will I live. And here will I die!" A couple of weeks later, on March 4, 1873, her family arrived. Edmund Montgomery signed the papers that made Elisabet and Edmund the owners of Liendo Plantation.

The team shared pictures from their visit to the Liendo home in April—See one of her early scultpture studies, photos of the home at the time of the couples' occupancy, and their tombstones and dedications on the property.

Evolution of the Historic window hatch! 🏰In 1892, European portrait sculptress Elisabet Ney (1833-1907) purchased proper...
05/24/2026

Evolution of the Historic window hatch! 🏰

In 1892, European portrait sculptress Elisabet Ney (1833-1907) purchased property in Austin, established a studio named Formosa and resumed her career as a noted sculptor of notables.

At Formosa, Ney sculpted legendary Texans, among them Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston. Ney also assembled at her American studio portraits of European notables, including King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Otto von Bismarck, Arthur Schopenhauer and Jacob Grimm rendered from life as a young artist in Europe.

Elisabet Ney designed Formosa herself. In her plans, she included stairs with steep steps (so as not to gather excessive dust), a hatch on the floor (to get from her clay storage space in the basement, and the workspace on the floor above, faster), and this window hatch.

These hatches were built to transfer large pieces of stone or sculptures that couldn't fit through the main door. However, Ney passed, and the building shifted from home studio to museum. The windows remained closed for years.

Now, the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) includes restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows, and much more! We're so excited to bring Ney's vision and original intentions back to life, and to keep doing so in the years to come. Check out some shots before and after our first historic window/door opening in March! 🎊

Celebrating all the amazing folks that have been coming out and helped us plant out the beds on the north side of the cr...
05/22/2026

Celebrating all the amazing folks that have been coming out and helped us plant out the beds on the north side of the creek! A beautiful addition to the new bridge 🌿 Shoutout to Adam Leslie who took charge of the workday that Sunday!

Join us for the third Naturalists at the Ney of the year with a discussion about water conservation!💧🏙Naturalists at the...
05/20/2026

Join us for the third Naturalists at the Ney of the year with a discussion about water conservation!💧🏙

Naturalists at the Ney: Saving Water in Urban Landscapes

Cory Ames, a Texas-based storyteller and educator exploring how cities and landscapes function together, looks at how urban homes and neighborhoods can better capture, slow, and reuse rainwater—right where it falls.

Drawing from hands-on projects across Central Texas, this talk covers practical approaches to harvesting roof, yard, driveway, and street runoff to reduce flooding, support healthier landscapes, and build long-term water resilience. Attendees will leave with simple, actionable ways to see stormwater as an asset and work with their site’s natural flow instead of against it.

🗓 Join us at the Elisabet Ney Museum on June 6th, 10am-12pm

🔗 RSVP on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/naturalists-at-the-ney-saving-water-in-urban-landscapes-tickets-1985003770713

We had a stellar time with our volunteers yesterday! Thanks to all the folks that came out - We pulled 20 pounds of Tori...
05/04/2026

We had a stellar time with our volunteers yesterday! Thanks to all the folks that came out - We pulled 20 pounds of Torilis in one day! Stay tuned for the next one 🌿🪏👏👏

Have some time this weekend? There will be a volunteer Day at the Elisabet Ney Museum Sunday, May 3rd: 9am-12pm! 🪏🌿We wi...
04/30/2026

Have some time this weekend? There will be a volunteer Day at the Elisabet Ney Museum Sunday, May 3rd: 9am-12pm! 🪏🌿

We will be doing a Torilis pull-a-thon! Torilis is an invasive relative in the carrot family. The seeds get stuck on everything and we'd like to get as much of it out of the Ney landscape as possible.

This work will include hand pulling while crouching down. Please wear long pants, close toed shoes, sun protection, and bring your water bottle. Please text our Elisabet Ney Landscape Educator and Specialist, Marsha Riti if you have any questions at 512-669-0700

This weekend! Walk the grounds with a tree expert from Austin's very own Tree Folks  and learn how to identify tree spec...
04/29/2026

This weekend! Walk the grounds with a tree expert from Austin's very own Tree Folks and learn how to identify tree species! 🏡

Have you been wondering what kind of tree is growing in your yard? Maybe you want to learn a fun new skill? Well, you’re in luck because the Central Texas Seed Savers and TreeFolks are coming to the Elisabet Ney Museum to lead a Tree ID lesson to help you learn a little more about what’s growing around you!

You will learn how to identify native trees and how to safely and ethically collect seeds to donate to the TreeFolks Seeds To Trees Native Nursery.
🔗(www.treefolks.org/nursery/)

Meet your walk leader at on the north side of the Elisabeth Ney in the pecan grove next to Ave G. Free parking is available on the street, but please don't park north of 44th street on Ave H.

The Central Texas Seed Savers (www.centexseedsavers.org/about) is a growing network of people who love seeds with the mission of preventing the extinction of ecologically and culinarily important plants in the Central Texas Region.

TreeFolks was founded as Austin’s Urban Forestry non-profit in 1989. Since then, TreeFolks has grown to work with communities throughout Central Texas in community tree planting, tree giveaways, education, and urban wildland reforestation efforts. Our mission is to empower Central Texans to build stronger communities through planting and caring for trees.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Gillian at [email protected] and check out treefolks.org for more info!

RSVP on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/naturalists-at-the-ney-tree-id-for-tree-savers-tickets-1985003143838

Address

304 E 44th Street
Austin, TX
78751

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 5pm
Friday 12pm - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

(512) 974-1625

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