Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art facts for kids
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| Established | 1942 |
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| Location | 445 North Park Avenue Winter Park, Florida |
| Type | Art |
The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art is a special place in Winter Park, Florida. It's famous for having the world's largest collection of art by Louis Comfort Tiffany. You can also see beautiful Art Nouveau pieces, old American pottery, and paintings from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's Past
The Morse Museum has a cool history! It was started in 1942 by a woman named Jeannette Genius McKean. She named it after her grandfather, Charles Hosmer Morse, who was a businessman from Chicago. Jeannette's husband, Hugh McKean, was the museum's first director.
How the Museum Started
The museum first opened its doors at Rollins College. In 1955, the McKeans put on a special show. It was the first time Louis Comfort Tiffany's art had been shown since he passed away in 1933.
Saving Tiffany's Treasures
In 1957, something sad happened. Hugh McKean found out that Tiffany's amazing home, Laurelton Hall, had burned down. Hugh had actually studied art there in 1930. When they saw the damage, Jeannette said, "Let's buy everything that is left and try to save it."
They bought many important pieces from the fire. These included parts of Tiffany's chapel from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. They also saved beautiful stained-glass windows and big parts of the building. Some of these pieces, like the poppy loggia, were given to another famous museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
New Homes for the Museum
The museum moved to a new spot in Winter Park in 1978. Then, in 1995, it opened at its current location on Park Avenue. Now, it has over 1,765 square meters (19,000 square feet) of space for people to explore. In February 2017, the museum celebrated its 75th birthday with a special art show.
Exploring the Tiffany Collection
The art by Louis Comfort Tiffany is the most important part of the Morse Museum. You can see all kinds of art he made. This includes everything from big, award-winning stained-glass windows to tiny glass buttons.
What You'll See
The collection has paintings, pottery, jewelry, and colorful enamel art. There are also mosaics, watercolors, lamps, and furniture. You can even see his special Favrile blown glass.
The Famous Tiffany Chapel
One of the most amazing things is the Tiffany Chapel. He created it for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It has bright windows, mosaics, and unique architectural designs. The chapel was put back together and opened to the public in April 1999. It was the first time in over 100 years that people could see it all together! The chapel is about 12 meters (39 feet) long and 7 meters (23 feet) wide. It stands about 7 meters (24 feet) tall.
Art from Laurelton Hall
In February 2011, the museum opened a new area. This space is about 557 square meters (6,000 square feet). It's used to show art and building pieces from Tiffany's country home, Laurelton Hall.
Other Amazing Collections
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Besides Tiffany's work, the museum has many other cool collections.
Stained Glass and Decorative Arts
You can see other stained-glass windows by artists like William Morris and Frank Lloyd Wright. The jewelry and silver collection includes pieces by Emile Gallé and René Lalique. The furniture collection has items by Emile Gallé, Louis Majorelle, and Gustav Stickley, as well as Tiffany.
American Art Pottery
The museum also has over 800 pieces of American Art Pottery from the 1800s. About 300 of these are from Rookwood Pottery.
Sculptures and Paintings
The sculpture collection features works by artists like Thomas Crawford and Daniel Chester French. You can also find a great collection of American paintings and prints. Some famous painters include Samuel F. B. Morse (who was related to Charles Hosmer Morse), John Singer Sargent, and Maxfield Parrish. The print collection includes works by artists like Mary Cassatt and Edward Hopper.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Morse de Arte Americano para niños
