SAN ANTONIO — If you're in San Antonio and are a huge Spurs fan then you need to head out to the San Antonio Museum of Art now.
Spurs great, Tony Parker, has his pop-culture collection on display at the San Antonio Museum of Art for the entire summer.
The collection of over 30 larger than-life-statues of film and comic book heroes and villains will be on display from June 10 to September 4, 2022.
The larger-than-life-statues are of film and comic book heroes and villains, including Superman, Thor, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Batman, Darth Vader, and Thanos.
“We appreciate the legendary Tony Parker making his collection available to San Antonio,” said Emily Ballew Neff, PhD, The Kelso Director of the San Antonio Museum of Art. “This exhibition will be a blast for anyone who has wondered what it would be like to stand face to face with a superhero or supervillain.”
Ahead of the public opening, Parker graciously did a one-on-one interview with us about his collection and more.
In part one of this Q&A, Parker speaks about his statues, some nerd talk, and more.
Come back to KENS 5 later this week for part two of our chat with Parker where he speaks about the Spurs at the NBA Draft and the rise of Dejounte Murray.
Jeff: Tony, this is a great collection on display.
Tony: Thank you.
Jeff: So I got to ask since you like the comic world, pick your Batman suit: The "Batman Beyond," Terry McGinnis suit, or Bruce Wayne's original outfit.
Tony: (Laughs) That's a tough one. I don't have a favorite. It's tough, man. I don't have a favorite because it's tough.
Jeff: What about Heath Ledger's "Joker"?
Tony: (Eyes get wide) Oh, on the "Joker", yeah! Oh yeah! Heath Ledger!
Jeff: What about Joaquin Phoenix as "Joker"?
Tony: Yeah, Joaquin Phoenix did a great job, but I have to go with Heath Ledger. His performance was legendary.
Jeff: Tell us about the collection here at the San Antonio Museum of Art. How did it start? What are fans are going to be anticipating when they come in and see this?
Tony: It started with my brothers and my friends not knowing what to buy me for my birthday or for Christmas. It started with a small statue, and I liked it, but I didn't collect anything.
I was just wanting to create a unique experience when you go to my gym and for my kids. I started to buy one and two, and then I was like, "Can we do life-size statues?"
Jeff: Basically, these are oversized action figures!
Tony: (Laughs) I got in contact with Oxmox Studios, a company based in Australia, who do all those big statues for premieres, and I was able to purchase them.
So after 10 years, I don't know, 35, 40, something like that, I don't even count, but I just wanted to create a unique experience when you go to my gym. Basically, it started like that.
Jeff: What is your favorite piece?
Tony: I like the "Hulk Buster," the big one, because of the story behind it. It took 10 of us to assemble it and carry everything, and he's just so massive!
That's why he was my favorite. Every time you go to my gym, the reaction is like, "What's that?" I like the reaction of people. It's funny.
Jeff: And what is your message for the fans when they come out here to see your collection?
Tony: Well, just enjoy.
When they approached me to do this in the San Antonio Museum, I was like, "Oh wow, really, are you serious?" I was like, "Oh, wow." I hope people in San Antonio will like it. It's a unique experience, a unique collection.
The San Antonio Museum of Art is located at 200 W Jones Ave., 78215.
Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5