Brooklyn Museum facts for kids

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Brooklyn Museum
Entrance facade of Brooklyn Museum
Former name	Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, Brooklyn Museum of Art
Established	August 1823 (1823-08) (as Brooklyn Apprentices' Library)
Location	200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York
Type	Art museum
Collection size	500,000 objects
Public transit access	Subway: at Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum

The Brooklyn Museum is a large art museum located in Brooklyn, New York City. It is the second-largest museum in New York City, covering about 560,000 square feet. The museum holds an amazing collection of around 500,000 art pieces.

The museum's beautiful Beaux-Arts building was designed by McKim, Mead & White. It is located near the Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Flatbush, and Park Slope neighborhoods.

The Brooklyn Museum started in 1823 as the Brooklyn Apprentices' Library. It later joined with the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences in 1843. The museum was created to be a place for everyone to learn and enjoy art. Its current building opened in 1897 and has grown over the years.

Today, the museum is famous for its collections of ancient art, especially its Egyptian antiquities that are over 3,000 years old. It also has important collections of European, African, Oceanic, and Japanese art. You can see a lot of American art from the Colonial era onwards. Famous artists like Mark Rothko, Edward Hopper, Judy Chicago, and Winslow Homer have their works here. The museum also has a cool outdoor area called the Steinberg Family Sculpture Garden, which displays parts of old buildings from New York City.

History of the Brooklyn Museum
The Museum Building
- Outside the Museum
  - Main Entrance
- Inside the Museum
How the Museum Works
- Museum Leaders
- Money for the Museum
Art and Exhibitions
Collections
Libraries and Archives
Programs and Activities
Visitors to the Museum
Images for kids
See also

History of the Brooklyn Museum

The Brooklyn Museum began in August 1823 as the Brooklyn Apprentices' Library. It was founded by Augustus Graham in Brooklyn Heights. The library moved to the Brooklyn Lyceum building in 1841. In 1843, the library and the Lyceum merged to form the Brooklyn Institute. This institute showed art and offered many lectures. Sadly, the building burned down in 1891.

Building the Museum

In 1889, important citizens of Brooklyn decided to raise money for a new museum. They chose a spot near Prospect Park. The next year, under director Franklin Hooper, the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences started planning the Brooklyn Museum.

They held a contest to pick the best design for the building. The famous firm McKim, Mead & White won. The museum was meant to be huge, with many different sections. The Brooklyn Museum was part of the Brooklyn Institute, along with places like the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. These organizations became independent in the 1970s.

Construction began on September 14, 1895. Engineers found that the ground was not solid rock, but they decided it was strong enough. The first part of the museum building was finished in March 1897. The museum's first art show opened on June 1, 1897. The Brooklyn Institute's museum officially opened on October 2, 1897. This was just before Brooklyn became part of the larger New York City in 1898.

Growing Through the Years (1900s-1940s)

Early 20th century postcard of the museum

In 1899, plans were made for a central entrance with a large lecture hall and sculpture hall. Work on this central part started in June 1900. It was mostly done by 1903. An eastern wing of the museum opened in December 1907. Even though the museum's art collection grew, the city only gave enough money for basic upkeep.

More wings were planned in 1911, but construction stopped in 1914. Because of the lack of space, the museum had to use its lobby and auditorium to show art. They even had to turn down some art donations because there was no room!

By 1920, the New York City Subway's Institute Park station opened nearby. This made it much easier for people to visit the museum. In 1922, the city approved money for new wings. New galleries opened, including a Japanese art gallery in 1927.

In 1929, the museum opened 19 American "period rooms." These rooms showed how homes looked in different time periods. In 1934, the main entrance steps were removed and replaced with ground-level doors. This made the museum easier to enter. By 1938, the building needed many repairs.

The Brooklyn Museum Art School moved to the museum in 1941. In 1948, a department store gave money for a "laboratory of industrial design." By 1949, the museum wanted to expand even more. They planned a new auditorium and a big renovation. A new lecture hall opened that September. The museum also started many educational programs to attract more visitors.

Mid-Century Changes (1950s-1960s)

Rear of the museum building, expanded in the 1950s

In the 1950s, the museum started a big renovation project. The Egyptian galleries were updated in 1953. A new annex was designed in 1955. By the late 1950s, the museum faced money problems. It sometimes had to close galleries because there weren't enough security guards.

To attract more people, the museum started offering more programs and interactive exhibits. A sculpture garden opened in April 1966. This garden displayed architectural pieces saved from demolished buildings in New York City. The Brooklyn Museum also began working with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1967.

By the late 1960s, money was still tight. In 1968, the museum opened the Community Gallery. This gallery showed art by Black New Yorkers. It was very popular and brought many new visitors to the museum.

Modern Era (1970s-Present)

Replica of the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) in back lot

The museum continued to have money issues in the early 1970s. Sometimes, it closed two days a week to keep all galleries open with limited security. In 1974, new galleries for Korean and Japanese art opened. The African art galleries were also expanded and renovated. The museum also updated its rules for buying art after a review in 1978.

By 1980, the museum's director considered ways to save money, like closing during the week. In 1983, Robert Buck became director and worked hard to raise money and attract visitors. The museum closed its art school in 1984. It also received $14 million from the city to improve its climate control systems.

In 1986, the museum announced a big plan to double its exhibition space. They wanted to show more of their huge collection. They also planned a new entrance from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Famous architect Arata Isozaki was hired to redesign the west wing. The first phase of this renovation began in 1990. A new auditorium opened in 1991. In 1993, more gallery space reopened in the west wing.

In 1997, the museum changed its name to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This was to make it clearer that it was an art museum.

21st Century Updates

The Eastern Parkway entrance to the Brooklyn Museum, rebuilt in 2004

In 2000, architect James Polshek designed a new glass entrance for the museum. This renovation cost $63 million and added air conditioning. It was completed in April 2004. At this time, the museum changed its name back to the Brooklyn Museum. The museum then focused on attracting people from Brooklyn. The Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art opened in 2007.

The museum's Great Hall was renovated in 2011. The African art gallery also moved to the first floor. A new museum shop and cafe opened in 2012. In the mid-2010s, the museum faced financial challenges.

The museum temporarily closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. During the George Floyd protests in New York City in June 2020, the museum offered shelter and resources to protesters. In 2021, the museum received a large gift of $50 million from the New York City government for renovations. The South Asian and Islamic galleries reopened in 2022.

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of its founding, the museum launched special exhibits and events in 2024.

The Museum Building

The Brooklyn Museum building is made of steel and covered in stone. It was designed in the neoclassical style by McKim, Mead, and White. The original building is a New York City designated landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum shares its block with the Brooklyn's Central Library, Mount Prospect Park, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Outside the Museum

The museum was originally planned to be four times larger than what was built. It was supposed to have many wings around four courtyards. However, only parts of the northern end were built. The building is shaped like an "L" and covers about 4.5 acres.

Main Entrance

The museum at night

The main front of the museum faces north along Eastern Parkway. It is 510 feet wide. It has a central section with six tall columns and a triangular top called a pediment. The pediment has sculptures by Daniel Chester French. He also designed two figures, Brooklyn and Manhattan, which stand at the museum's entrance. They were moved here in 1963.

The original entrance had a grand staircase, but it was removed in the 1930s. The current main entrance, built in 2004, is a modern glass pavilion.

The top of the Eastern Parkway facade has 20 large stone figures. These figures are 12 feet tall and were carved by the Piccirilli Brothers. If the whole building had been finished, there would have been 80 sculptures in total. The 30 sculptures that exist today show classical Greek and Roman figures, as well as Persian and Chinese figures.

Inside the Museum

The oldest part of the building was much smaller than planned. The original design included a large "memorial hall" and a "great hall of sculpture." Other areas would have held different collections and lecture rooms.

The main lobby was renovated in the mid-20th century to have a modern style. It was described as "an example of the best in modern architecture." After another renovation in 2011, the lobby became a tall central gallery with large columns.

How the Museum Works

The Brooklyn Museum is run by a non-profit organization. It is part of the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), which means it uses city-owned land or buildings and gets some funding from the city. The museum also worked with other Brooklyn groups to attract visitors.

Museum Leaders

Franklin Hooper was the first director of the Brooklyn Institute, serving for 25 years. Many other directors have led the museum over the years, each bringing new ideas and changes. Since 2015, Anne Pasternak has been the director. The director's position is now called the Shelby White and Leon Levy Director of the Brooklyn Museum, thanks to a large donation.

Money for the Museum

The museum gets money from the city, state, and federal governments. It also receives donations from individuals and foundations. For example, the Carnegie Corporation gave a $20 million grant to many New York City arts groups, including the Brooklyn Museum. The museum also holds an annual event called the Brooklyn Artists Ball to raise money.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum faced financial challenges. It sold some artworks to help pay for the care of its collections. This was allowed by the Association of Art Museum Directors for a limited time during the pandemic.

Art and Exhibitions

The Brooklyn Museum has about 500,000 objects in its collection. In the past, the museum aimed to show a wide range of art and culture, focusing on educating the public. In 1923, it was one of the first U.S. museums to show African metal objects as art, not just historical items.

The museum's first "period room" opened in 1929. These rooms showed how ordinary people's homes looked, which was different from other museums that focused on wealthy homes. The museum even acquired parts of old houses, like the 17th-century Jans Martense Schenck house.

In 1967, local art groups asked the museum to show more art by Brooklyn artists, especially African American artists. The museum then hired Henri Ghent to lead a new "Community Gallery." This gallery showed works by artists like Joe Overstreet and Kay Brown.

In 1999, an exhibition called "Sensation" caused some debate. It included a work by Chris Ofili called The Holy Virgin Mary. The mayor at the time, Rudolph Giuliani, threatened to cut funding to the museum. However, a court ruled that the city could not stop funding the museum because of the art it chose to show.

In 2002, the museum received The Dinner Party, a famous artwork by feminist artist Judy Chicago. This large installation became a main feature of the museum's Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, which opened in 2007.

The museum has also shown works by many modern artists, including Chuck Close, Takashi Murakami, and Kiki Smith. In 2018, the museum hosted the popular "David Bowie Is" exhibit. In 2020, costumes from TV shows like The Crown were displayed virtually. In 2023, the museum hosted a special exhibit about Pablo Picasso, curated by Hannah Gadsby.

Collections

Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Near Eastern Art

The Brooklyn Museum has collected Egyptian artifacts since the early 1900s. This includes items from the collection of American Egyptologist Charles Edwin Wilbour. The museum also got objects from its own archeological digs. The Egyptian collection has everything from statues, like the "Bird Lady" figure, to ancient papyrus documents.

These ancient collections are shown in special galleries. Egyptian artifacts are in the Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity exhibit. Near Eastern artifacts are in the Hagop Kevorkian Gallery.

Selections from the Egyptian collection

Book of the Dead of the Goldworker of Amun, Sobekmose, 31.1777e
Brooklyn Papyrus, 664–332 BCE
Painting of Lady Tjepu, New Kingdom Dynasty 18, Reign of Amunhotep III, c. 1390–1352 BCE, from tomb no. 181 at Thebes, 65.197
Pair statue of husband and wife Nebsen and Nebet-ta. New Kingdom, Dynasty XVIII, reign of Thutmose IV or Amenhotep III, c. 1400–1352 BCE.

American Art

Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington, 1796

The museum's American art collection started in 1846 with a painting by Francis Guy called Winter Scene in Brooklyn. In 1855, the museum officially created an American Art collection. It includes portraits, sculptures, and prints from around 1720 to 1945.

You can see works by artists like John Singer Sargent, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Winslow Homer. Some of the most famous pieces are Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington and Edward Hicks's The Peaceable Kingdom.

Works from the American art collection are in the Steinberg Family Sculpture Garden and the American Identities: A New Look exhibit. The museum also has about 2,000 American art objects in storage.

Selections from the American collection

Charles Willson Peale, George Washington, c. 1776
Samuel Morse, Portrait of John Adams, 1816
Edward Hicks, The Peaceable Kingdom, c. 1830–1840
John J. Audubon, Wild Turkey, lithograph, c. 1861
Eastman Johnson, A Ride for Liberty – The Fugitive Slaves, c. 1862
Albert Pinkham Ryder, Evening Glow The Old Red Cow, 1870–1875
Albert Pinkham Ryder, The Waste of Waters is Their Field, 1880
Winslow Homer, The Northeaster, c. 1883
Ralph Albert Blakelock, Moonlight, 1885
George Inness, Sunrise, 1887
Thomas Eakins, Letitia Wilson Jordan, 1888
John Singer Sargent, Paul César Helleu Sketching with His Wife, 1889
Mary Cassatt, La Toilette, c. 1889–1894
Childe Hassam, Late Afternoon, New York, Winter, c. 1900
George Bellows, A Morning Snow – Hudson River, 1910
Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Arch, c. 1914
Georgia O'Keeffe, Blue 1, 1916
Marsden Hartley, Landscape, New Mexico, 1916–1920
Joseph Rusling Meeker, The Acadians in the Achafalaya, "Evangeline", 1871

Asian Art

In 2019, the museum reopened its Japanese and Chinese exhibits. The Chinese section has pieces from over 5,000 years of Chinese art. The Japanese gallery is the largest part of the museum's Asian collection, with 7,000 pieces. It is known for its works from the Ainu people. The museum also has art from Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Southeast Asia.

Arts of Africa

The museum started collecting African art in 1900. It expanded in 1922 with items mostly from what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The next year, the museum held one of the first African art exhibitions in the United States.

With over 5,000 items, the Brooklyn Museum has one of the largest African art collections in any American museum. This collection covers 2,500 years of history. It includes sculptures, jewelry, masks, and religious items from over 100 African cultures. Important pieces include a carved ndop figure of a Kuba king and a Lulua mother-and-child figure.

Selections from the African collection

Kuba Ndop portrait
Golden rider of the Ashanti region culture in Ghana

Arts of the Pacific Islands

The museum's collection of Pacific Islands art began in 1900. It grew to almost 5,000 works. This art comes from many Pacific and Indian Ocean islands, like Hawaii and New Zealand. Many items from the Marquesas were given to the museum by the famous explorer Thor Heyerdahl.

These artworks are made from many different materials. The museum lists "coconut fiber, feathers, shells, clay, bone, human hair, wood, moss, and spider webs" as some of the materials used. The art includes masks, tapa cloths, sculptures, and jewelry.

Arts of the Islamic World

The museum also has art and historical texts made by Muslim artists or about Muslim cultures.

Selections from the Islamic world collection

Bahram Gur and Courtiers Entertained by Barbad the Musician, page from Shahnama of Ferdowsi
Zumurrud Shah Takes Refuge in the Mountains, ca. 1570
Mihr 'Ali (Iranian, active ca. 1800–1830). Portrait of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, 1815.
Muhammad Hasan (Persian, active 1808–1840). Prince Yahya, ca. 1830s.
Bowl with Kufic inscription, 10th century

The Jarvis Collection of Native American Plains Art

The museum has a collection of Native American artifacts. These were collected by Dr. Nathan Sturges Jarvis, a surgeon, between 1833 and 1836 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.

Inlaid pipe bowl with two faces collected at Fort Snelling 1833-1836

Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art

This center for feminist art opened in 2007. It is dedicated to showing the history of the feminist art movement. It also helps people learn about women's contributions to art. The center has an exhibition space and a library. A main artwork here is Judy Chicago's large installation called The Dinner Party (1974–1979).

European Art

The Brooklyn Museum has many European paintings. These include late Gothic and early Italian Renaissance works by artists like Lorenzo di Niccolo and Giovanni Bellini. It also has Dutch paintings by Frans Hals and Gerard Dou.

The museum features 19th-century French paintings by Edgar Degas, Gustave Caillebotte, and Claude Monet. You can also see sculptures by Alfred Barye and paintings by Paul Cézanne.

Selections from the European collection

Lorenzo di Niccolò, Saint Lawrence Buried in Saint Stephen's Tomb, 1410–1414, tempera and tooled gold on poplar, 33 × 36 cm
Sano di Pietro, Triptych of Madonna with Child, St. James and St. John the Evangelist, c. 1460 and 1462
Eugène Delacroix, Desdemona Cursed by her Father (Desdemona maudite par son père), c. 1850–1854
Honoré Daumier, The Two Colleagues (Lawyers) (Les deux confrères Avocats), between 1865 and 1870
Gustave Courbet, The Edge of the Pool, 1867
Edgar Degas, Portrait de Mlle Eugénie Fiocre, 1867–1868
Alfred Sisley, Flood at Moret (Inondation à Moret), 1879
Gustave Caillebotte, Apple Tree in Bloom (Pommier en fleurs), c. 1885
Jules Breton, Fin du travail (The End of the Working Day), c. 1886–1887
Vincent van Gogh, Cypresses (Les Cyprès), 1889, reed pen, graphite, quill, brown ink and black ink on white wove latune et cie balcons paper
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, At the Moulin Rouge (Au Moulin Rouge), c. 1892
Claude Monet, The Church at Vernon, 1894
Claude Monet, Houses of Parliament Sunlight Effect (Le Parlement effet de soleil), 1903
Claude Monet, The Doge's Palace (Le Palais ducal), 1908
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Les Vignes à Cagnes, 1908
André Derain, Landscape in Provence (Paysage de Provence), c. 1908

Other Collections

The museum's costume collection was started in 1946. It was known as "one of the best in the world." In 2008, this collection was moved to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute.

The Brooklyn Museum has also collected photographs since the 19th century. This collection grew from gifts by photographers and collectors. Since 1993, it has been part of the Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs.

Libraries and Archives

The Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives hold about 300,000 books and many historical documents. The collection started in 1823. It is housed in facilities that have been updated several times.

Programs and Activities

On the first Saturday of each month, the Brooklyn Museum stays open until 11 PM. General admission is free after 5 PM, though some special exhibits might have a fee. These "First Saturday" events include fun family activities like art workshops, gallery tours, lectures, and live performances. The museum started these events in 1998, and they have attracted many visitors.

The museum also has a Museum Apprentice Program. This program hires high school students to give tours and help with family programs. They also talk with museum curators and help plan teen events. The Museum Education Fellowship Program is another program where fellows lead school visits and organize public programs.

The museum has a digital collection online. People can tag and organize objects, and even add their own research. The museum's ASK App lets visitors chat with staff about the artworks.

Visitors to the Museum

James Tissot, The Disciples Having Left Their Hiding Place Watch from Afar in Agony, c. 1886–1894

Before World War II, the museum offered free admission and had over a million visitors each year. In 1934, it had 940,000 visitors. Attendance dropped in the mid-20th century. By the mid-1980s, it had about 300,000 visitors per year.

Attendance grew again in the late 1990s, reaching 585,000 in 1998. However, it dropped to 326,000 by 2009. By 2017, attendance increased to 465,000.

Some people thought the museum's focus on "populism" with exhibits on topics like "Star Wars movies and hip-hop music" might have affected attendance. However, the museum's leaders believe it helps attract a diverse audience. A 2008 survey showed that the average visitor was 35 years old. Many visitors (40 percent) were from Brooklyn, and over 40 percent were people of color. The museum wants to be welcoming to everyone.

As of 2023^[update], the Brooklyn Museum has a pay what you want policy for general admission. This means visitors can choose how much they pay. In 2017, half of the visitors did not pay any admission fee.

Images for kids

James Tissot, The Disciples Having Left Their Hiding Place Watch from Afar in Agony, c. 1886–1894