Benton Museum of Art facts for kids
The museum's courtyard, viewed from College Avenue
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| Established | 1958 |
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| Location | 211 N. College Ave., Claremont, California, United States |
| Type | Art museum |
| Collection size | 18,783 items |
| Visitors | 18,000 per year |
| Owner | Pomona College |
| Public transit access | Claremont  |
The Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College, often called the Benton, is an art museum located at Pomona College in Claremont, California. It opened in 2020. This new museum replaced the Montgomery Art Gallery, which had been home to the Pomona College Museum of Art since 1958.
The Benton Museum holds a large collection of about 18,000 items. These include beautiful Italian Renaissance panel paintings, art and artifacts from Native American cultures, and many American and European prints, drawings, and photographs. Good news: the museum is free for everyone to visit!
History of the Museum
Pomona College first started a separate School of Art and Design in 1892. Later, around 1913, it became a part of the college. In 1958, because more people were interested in art after World War II, the Gladys K. Montgomery Art Center was built. This allowed the college to show its art collection all in one place for the first time.
In 1968, the gallery got bigger with a new second story. This nearly doubled its size. From 1969 to 1973, the gallery had a special time. The director, Mowry Baden, and curators, Hal Glicksman and Helene Winer, put on many new and exciting art shows. These shows featured works by artists like James Turrell, Judy Fiskin, Chris Burden, and Peter Shelton. These artists later became very famous.
However, some people at the college did not like these new art styles. This led to many art teachers leaving in 1973. An art historian named Thomas E. Crow later said that the art made and shown at the college during this time was "as important to art history as any being made and shown anywhere else in the world."
In 1977, a new gallery space was added, making the exhibition area twice as big. The gallery officially became a museum in 2001. A smaller update happened in 2006, adding a new entrance.
In 2020, the museum moved to its brand new building, the Benton. This new building is named after Janet Inskeep Benton, a generous donor. It has much more space for showing and storing art. The new museum opened to the public on May 25, 2021.
Museum Design
The Benton Museum is located on the edge of Pomona College's campus. It is close to the downtown area of Claremont. The museum was designed by two architecture firms, Machado and Silvetti Associates and Gensler. It cost $44 million to build.
The building is shaped like a "U" around an open courtyard. It is mostly made of concrete, with decorative wooden parts. The design allows visitors to easily see both inside and outside the museum. It was also built to be very energy efficient.
Many people have praised the museum's design. One reviewer said the materials used were "clean and cool." Another called the museum "a perfect gem" and "a thoughtful, comprehensive, economically efficient building." An architecture critic for The Wall Street Journal noted its "obvious distinction" and "stately and equally classical rhythm."
Art Collections
The Benton Museum has about 18,000 art pieces. Its collection includes Italian Renaissance panel paintings, around 6,000 pieces of indigenous American art from different time periods, and many American and European prints, drawings, and photographs. The museum often features art by artists from Southern California. The former director, Kathleen Howe, said the museum focuses on "contemporary art with an edge."
The museum also looks after several important public artworks located around the Pomona College campus. These include:
- The Spirit of Spanish Music by Burt William Johnson (1915)
- Prometheus by José Clemente Orozco (1930)
- Genesis by Rico Lebrun (1960)
- Dividing the Light by James Turrell (2007)
A statue by Alison Saar, called Imbue, is in the museum's courtyard. It shows the Yoruba goddess of childbirth, Yemọja, carrying many pails on her head.
- Public art at Pomona College
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The Spirit of Spanish Music (1916) by Burt Johnson
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Genesis (1960) by Rico Lebrun
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In the Spirit of Excellence (1989) by Norman Hines
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Dividing the Light (2007) by James Turrell
See also
- List of museums in Los Angeles County, California
- Scripps College § Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, a similar art space nearby
- Hannah Tempest Jenkins, Pomona's first art professor
