Chazen Museum of Art facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Chazen Museum of Art

The Chazen Museum of Art complex in 2012
Former name	Elvehjem Museum of Art
Established	1970; 55 years ago (1970)
Location	750 University Ave Madison, Wisconsin  United States
Type	Art museum
Collection size	24,000 works
Visitors	100,000 (2023)

UW-Madison Humanities Building and Elvehjem Art Center
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Location in Wisconsin
Location	750 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin
Built	1968
Architect	Harry Weese
Architectural style	Brutalism
Part of	Bascom Hill Historic District (ID74000065)
Designated CP	September 12, 1974

The Chazen Museum of Art is a cool art museum located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. It's a place where you can see amazing artworks from all over the world!

The museum first opened in 1970. Back then, it was called the Elvehjem Art Center, and later the Elvehjem Museum of Art. It was built to hold the university's collection of about 1,600 art pieces. The building itself has a unique style called brutalist, and it was designed by an architect named Harry Weese. The museum was named after Conrad Elvehjem, who was the president of UW-Madison and a famous scientist.

In 2005, the museum got a new name: the Chazen Museum of Art. This happened because a kind couple, Jerome A. Chazen and his wife Simona, gave a very generous gift. They both used to study at the university. Their gift helped pay for a brand new building for the museum. This new part was designed by a company called Machado and Silvetti Associates and opened in 2011.

Today, the Chazen Museum of Art is really big, with lots of space to explore. It has over 24,000 art pieces! This makes it the second-largest art museum in Wisconsin, right after the Milwaukee Art Museum.

How the Museum Started

From Elvehjem to Chazen

For many years, until 2005, the museum was known as the Elvehjem Museum of Art. It was named after Conrad Elvehjem, who was the 13th president of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was also a well-known biochemist who studied nutrition.

In May 2005, the museum's name changed to the Chazen Museum of Art. This happened after Simona and Jerome A. Chazen, who were both students at the university, gave a huge donation of $20 million. Jerome A. Chazen was also one of the people who started a big clothing company called Liz Claiborne Inc. (now Kate Spade & Company). Even though the museum got a new name, the original building, which opened in 1970, is still called the Elvehjem building.

The Chazen Museum of Art's main building in 2025.

In 2011, the Chazens made another big donation to the museum. This included $5 million for the museum building itself. They also gave $3 million to help support art and art history teachers at the University of Wisconsin. Plus, they donated 30 amazing artworks that were worth $20 million!

A brand new building, designed by Machado & Silvetti Associates, opened in 2011. This new part is connected to the older Conrad A. Elvehjem building by a bridge. It actually doubled the size of the museum, giving it much more room for art!

Museum Leadership

After working as the museum's director for 30 years, Russell Panczenko stepped down in 2017. A new director, Amy Gilman, took over and is still leading the museum today.

In 2018, a group called the Association of Art Museum Directors started a special program. This program helps college students from diverse backgrounds get paid internships in art museums. The Chazen Museum of Art was one of the first museums to join this important program.

What You Can See: The Art Collections

The Chazen Museum has a huge collection of art from all over the world. You can see paintings and sculptures by famous European artists like Joan Miró, Auguste Rodin, Salvador Dalí, and René Magritte. There are also works by Thomas Gainsborough and Henry Moore.

The museum also has many pieces by American artists. These include works by Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, and Grandma Moses. You can also find many different types of art by Alexander Calder, and even a copy of the Emancipation Memorial.

You'll also discover modern art by artists like Shusaku Arakawa and David Klamen. There's a special collection of regionalist paintings by John Steuart Curry. The museum also features Russian Social Realist paintings by artists such as Konstantin Vialov and Klavdy Lebedev. You can see beautiful glass art by René Lalique and many Japanese woodblock prints. The Van Vleck collection of Japanese woodblock prints is a very important part of the museum's paper art collection.

Music at the Museum

For many years, there were special chamber concerts called Sunday Afternoon Live from the Chazen. These concerts used to be broadcast on Wisconsin Public Radio. The radio station stopped the program in 2015, but the concerts still happen once a month as a live show. You can even watch them online through a webcast!

The Chazen Museum of Art is also the official home for Tandem Press. This is a fine arts publisher located in Madison, Wisconsin. The museum keeps one print from every single art edition that Tandem Press publishes.

Images for kids

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  Yorùbá People (Nigeria), Gẹlẹdẹ Headdress, early 20th century

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  Chinese, Jar with Lid, Qing Dynasty (18th-19th centuries)

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  Jissei (Japan), Plate, n.d.

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  Frans Post, Village of Olinda, Brazil, c. 1660

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  Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Orpheus Greeting the Dawn, 1865

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  Thomas Ball, Emancipation Group, 1873

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  Klavdy Lebedev, The Fall of Novgorod, 1891

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  Eugène Boudin, Étretat, 1891

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  Charles Sprague Pearce, The Shawl, c. 1895-1900

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  John Steuart Curry, Our Good Earth, 1942

Museum Directors

Here are the people who have led the museum over the years:

Elvehjem Museum of Art Directors (1970–2005)

• 1984–2005: Russell Panczenko

Chazen Museum of Art Directors (2005–Present)

• 2005–2017: Russell Panczenko
• Since 2017: Amy Gilman