Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh facts for kids
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Carnegie Institute and Library
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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The Carnegie Institute serves as the headquarters of the Carnegie Museums
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| Location | 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
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| Area | 9.5 acres (3.8 ha) |
| Built | 1895 |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Part of | Schenley Farms Historic District (ID83002213) |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002158 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | March 30, 1979 |
| Designated CP | July 22, 1983 |
The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh is a group of four amazing museums in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. They are run by a special organization that helps people learn and explore. Their main office is in the Carnegie Institute and Library building in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh. This building is very old and important. It was added to a list of special historic places in 1979.
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What are the Carnegie Museums?
Two of these museums, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Carnegie Museum of Art, are in the main Carnegie Institute building. This building also has the Carnegie Music Hall and the main Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. It's a really important historic place!
A very generous person named Andrew Carnegie gave the money for these libraries and buildings. He wanted to help people learn and grow. He believed that if communities helped support these places, they would inspire everyone. That's why the words "free to the people" are carved above the library entrance.
The other two museums are in different spots in Pittsburgh. The Andy Warhol Museum and the Kamin Science Center are located on Pittsburgh's North Shore.
The Andy Warhol Museum
The Andy Warhol Museum opened on May 15, 1994. It was the first museum to focus only on an American artist from after World War II. The building itself was built in 1911 for factories. Later, it was changed into a museum by architect Richard Gluckman.
Today, the museum has seven floors filled with art. It also has an underground studio for learning and a special lab to take care of the art.
Who was Andy Warhol?
Andy Warhol was famous for his "pop art" style. He used a technique called silkscreening. He became well-known in the early 1960s. His art often showed everyday things like Marilyn Monroe or even The Campbell's soup can. He made many copies of these images. His art helped people think about beauty and what was important in American society.
The museum has over 4,000 of Warhol's artworks. These include paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, and sculptures. You can also see all of his video collections. This includes 228 short films called "Screen Tests." The museum also has many of Warhol's personal archives. Besides Warhol's art, the museum often shows works by other modern artists.
Carnegie Museum of Art
When Andrew Carnegie started this museum, he wanted to collect art from the "Old Masters of tomorrow." This means he wanted to find great artists who were still alive. The Carnegie Museum of Art became one of the first museums in the United States to focus on modern art. It started in 1895 as the Department of Fine Arts. Its name changed to the Carnegie Museum of Art in 1986.
What can you see there?
Today, the museum still shows contemporary art. Every few years, they have a big show called the Carnegie International. Many artworks from these shows have been bought for the museum's permanent collection. This includes famous pieces like The Wreck by Winslow Homer (1896).
The Hall of Sculpture is a beautiful room made of white marble. It looks like the inside of the ancient Greek Parthenon. The Hall of Architecture has the largest collection of plaster casts of famous buildings in America. It's one of the three biggest collections in the world!
In 1974, the Sarah Scaife Galleries Annex opened. This new part of the museum almost doubled the space for showing art. It was designed to fit in with the old building without taking away from its beauty.
The Heinz Architectural Center opened in 1993. It collects and shows drawings, prints, and models of buildings. Many of these are from the 1800s and 1900s.
In 2001, the museum got a huge collection of photos. These were taken by an African-American photographer named Charles "Teenie" Harris. He took about 80,000 photos from the 1930s to the 1970s. Many of these pictures have been put online.
The museum's main collection has many different types of art. You can see European and American decorative arts. There are also paintings, prints (especially Japanese prints), and sculptures.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History opened in 1895, at the same time as the Museum of Art. Today, it holds over twenty million objects and artifacts! Andrew Carnegie himself helped collect things for the museum from 1895 to 1907. He wanted to show how life on Earth changed over time.
Explore the Natural World
One of the most exciting parts is the collection of 230 dinosaur fossils. This includes the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found! You can also explore other cool exhibits. These include the Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems. There's also the Alcoa Foundation Hall of American Indians. And don't miss the Walton Hall of Ancient Egypt.
The museum also has a special place called the Powdermill Nature Reserve. It was started in 1956. Scientists use it to study animals and plants in nature for a long time. Research teams from the Carnegie Museum have even discovered new animals. These include Puijila darwini and Hadrocodium wui.
Kamin Science Center
The Kamin Science Center opened in 1991. But its history goes all the way back to 1939! It is the most visited museum in Pittsburgh. The Kamin Science Center has many fun things to see and do.
What's inside?
It has the Buhl Planetarium & Observatory, where you can learn about space. There's also the Rangos Giant Cinema Theater for big movies. You can find many temporary and permanent exhibits. These include Highmark SportsWorks, where you can learn about sports science. Don't miss the Miniature Railroad & Village or the Robot Hall of Fame!
In 1990, a special law was passed. It allowed a World War II submarine called the USS Requin to become an exhibit. Now, visitors can explore the submarine. They can learn how people lived and worked on it during the war.
The Buhl Planetarium joined with the Carnegie Museums in 1987. This led to the building of the new Carnegie Science Center in 1989. In 2024, a large gift from the Kamin family led to the science center being renamed the Kamin Science Center.
See also
In Spanish: Museos Carnegie de Pittsburgh para niños
