In celebration of its 55th anniversary, the Sun Valley Museum of Art (SVMoA) presents Circa 1971: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, on view through October 17, 2026, at the Sun Valley Museum of Art in Ketchum, Idaho. Organized by SVMoA’s Assistant Director and Curator Courtney Gilbert and Executive Director Jennifer Wells Green, in consultation with the museum’s founder, Glenn Janss, theexhibition brings together seminal works by groundbreaking artists from 1970 to 1972.
What makes this exhibition so unique and special is Jordan D. Schnitzer’s lifelong passion and dedication to collecting, which, when seen in action, is quite remarkable, and it all began at a young age.
Organizing exhibitions and supporting museums nationwide by showcasing such notable art is an incredible and empowering gift and a major principle behind Schnitzer’s collection and his ongoing collecting for preservation. No stranger to Sun Valley, Schnitzer first came to Sun Valley in the seventh grade with his mother, who was his greatest inspiration for art collecting.
“The art all revolved around my late mother, Arlene Schnitzer, and growing up in Portland, Oregon,” said Schnitzer. “There was no contemporary gallery in Portland, and in 1961, my mother opened the Fountain Gallery of Art while my father was building a real estate business. For 25 years, I had a working mother who did a wonderful job helping Portland businesses and individuals realize the importance of supporting local artists and of having art in their businesses and homes.” He added, “This was a wonderful time in my life. I was receiving art as gifts and attending art openings. Arlene opened the door to art for me.”
Serving on the board of the Portland Art Museum, Schnitzer came across an exhibition of prints and multiples from the New York School. However, he wanted to remain committed to Northwest artists from Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco, so he went to the Augen Gallery and bought three prints—Frank Stella, David Hockney, and a Jim Dine.
“In 1995, I had about 300 prints, and the director of the University of Oregon Art Museum, which was later expanded and renamed the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, one of several university museums I have funded, chose 56 works,” said Schnitzer. “I had a transformational moment. The joy of sharing the art and seeing people excited about it is greater than the personal passion and joy I have for it.”
He added, “As someone from Portland in the Northwest, I have a wonderful relationship with nature, just as in Sun Valley. For so many people and communities, visiting a gallery or an art museum can feel like it’s for someone else, an elitist few, not for them. I developed a significant collection of prints and multiples and, over the years, built a large teaching collection of thousands of works of art. Museums call to ask about exhibitions, which is exciting. We travel all over the country, visiting regional and major museums. We have had 180 exhibitions and have loaned thousands of artworks to over 130 museums at no cost to the institutions.”
Circa 1971 captures the era’s dynamic artistic movements, from the bold graphics of Pop Art and the perceptual experiments of Op Art to the austere elegance of Minimalism, the exacting detail of Photorealism, and the intellectual rigor of Conceptual Art. The exhibition features prints and sculptural editions by an extraordinary group of artists, including Anni Albers, Larry Bell, Vija Celmins, David Hockney, Jasper Johns, Alex Katz, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Louise Nevelson, Claes Oldenburg, Ed Ruscha, Frank Stella, Wayne Thiebaud, and Andy Warhol. Across diverse practices and philosophies, these artists collectively shaped the visual language of their era, an influence that continues to resonate today.
“Circa 1971 may be one of the most creative exhibitions among the more than 180 we have organized from our collection over the past 30 years,” said Schnitzer. “Featuring works created between 1970 and 1972, the exhibition takes us back to the thoughts, dreams, and challenges of that remarkable era. Presenting the exhibition for the museum’s 55th anniversary, which began in 1971, is a special celebration that returns to a remarkable moment in American art and to the artists who defined it. Artists have always been chroniclers of our time.”
Drawing on the most significant private collection of prints in the United States, Circa 1971: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation highlights the vision and generosity of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation. The exhibition underscores the enduring power of printmaking as a democratic and innovative medium and illuminates a transformative moment in American cultural history.
“Having art and nature in our lives is critical,” said Schnitzer. “You don’t need to know anything about art or artists. It’s wonderful to surround yourself with beautiful things and with those that challenge you and force you to think about your values.”
Complementing Circa 1971,SVMoA will present a series of public programs exploring the broader cultural ferment of the early 1970s. These offerings will examine the era’s music, literature, and popular culture alongside its visual arts.
August 20 and September 24
Evening Exhibition Tours
5:30pm| FREE (pre-registration recommended)
The Museum | Ketchum
August 5
Art on Film: The Mastermind
5pm | $10 member/$12 nonmember
Merlin’s Magic Lantern | Ketchum
August 11
Lecture: “Circa 1971: A Turning Point in Contemporary Art”
A Conversation with Kimberly Davis, Director of L.A. Louver Gallery
5:30pm | FREE
The Museum | Ketchum
September 17
Lecture: Henry Diltz: “Legends Through the Lens”
A Conversation with Henry Diltz, Legendary Rock Photographer
5:30pm
Sun Valley Opera House
For more information, visit svmoa.org.