The Amon Carter Museum was opened in January 1961. It houses the western art collection that was amassed by Fort Worth publisher and philanthropist Amon G. Carter, Sr. The original collection contained 400 paintings, sculpture, and drawings by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russel. Today, the museum now has a wide range of 19th and 20th century American paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, and even photographs from its early days up to the present.

The Amon Carter Museum building was designed by Philip Johnson. Considered by some to be extremely elegant, it was aimed to be a vibrant institution. It was not made to just house the works by Remington and Russel, it was also meant to encompass a wider range of American Art.