kids encyclopedia robot

Cincinnati Art Museum facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Art Museum logo.svg
Cincinnati Art Museum.jpg
The Cincinnati Art Museum, located on the west side of Eden Park
Established 1881
Location 953 Eden Park Dr.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Type Art museum
Visitors 346,000
Public transit access Local transit SORTA Metro route 1
Interactive map

The Cincinnati Art Museum is a cool place to explore art in the Eden Park area of Cincinnati, Ohio. It opened in 1881 and was the first art museum built specifically for art west of the Allegheny Mountains. This makes it one of the oldest museums in the United States!

The museum has a huge collection of over 67,000 artworks. These pieces cover 6,000 years of human history, making it one of the most complete collections in the Midwest.

When the museum was being planned, people discussed putting it in Burnet Woods, Eden Park, or downtown. Charles West, a big supporter, chose Eden Park. The museum building, designed by James W. McLaughlin, opened in 1886. Over the years, it has been changed and updated many times.

In 2003, a new part called The Cincinnati Wing was added. This wing shows art made for Cincinnati or by artists from Cincinnati since 1788. It has 15 new galleries with about 400 objects. Some of the largest pieces are two angels by Odoardo Fantacchiotti. These angels were made for a cathedral in the 1840s and were among the first European sculptures to come to Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati Wing also features works by famous artists like Frank Duveneck and Robert Scott Duncanson. You can also see beautiful Rookwood Pottery and furniture from Mitchell & Rammelsberg. The museum is also part of the Monuments Men and Women Museum Network, which started in 2021.

Museum History

CincinnatiArtMuseumStaircase
Inside the Cincinnati Art Museum

In the late 1800s, public art museums were quite new, especially in places like Cincinnati. After a successful exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, a group called the Women's Art Museum Association formed in Cincinnati. Their goal was to create an art museum for everyone in the area.

People became very excited about this idea. By 1881, the Cincinnati Museum Association was officially created. At first, the art museum was temporarily located in a part of Music Hall. Just five years later, on May 17, 1886, the main Art Museum building in Eden Park was officially opened with special ceremonies. In November 1887, the McMicken School moved to the museum campus and became the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati Art Museum quickly gained support from the community. Many generous people from Cincinnati, like Melville E. Ingalls, donated artworks. The collection grew to tens of thousands of objects, which meant the museum needed more space.

Building Expansions

In 1907, the Schmidlapp Wing was added. More building projects followed. In the 1930s, the Emery, Hanna, and French wings were built. These additions created the museum's current rectangular shape and provided space for the American, European, and Asian art collections.

Later, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Great Hall was divided into two floors. The main entrance to the museum was also changed during this time. In 1965, the Adams-Emery wing was completed. This added more room for the permanent collection, lecture halls, and special temporary exhibits.

In 1993, a big project costing $13 million helped restore the museum's beautiful interior. Hidden architectural details were uncovered, and the Great Hall was renovated. New gallery spaces were created, and the lighting and climate control were improved. The area for temporary exhibitions grew to about 10,000 square feet (929 square meters). In 1998, the museum decided to become separate from the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

By the early 2000s, the museum's collection had over 60,000 objects. Today, it is the largest art collection in Ohio. In 2003, the Cincinnati Art Museum opened the popular Cincinnati Wing. This was the first time a city's art history was shown permanently in a museum in the United States.

Also, on May 17, 2003, the museum made general admission free forever. This was made possible by The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation. In 2005, the Art Academy of Cincinnati moved from the museum's campus to another location.

As of June 2020, the Cincinnati Art Museum and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park were both being updated. A new outdoor space called "Art Climb" was created. Art Climb is a staircase that goes from the street up to the museum entrance. It makes the museum grounds more open and connects the museum to its neighbors. It also provides a place to display outdoor artworks.

Art Collection

The Cincinnati Art Museum has many paintings by famous European artists. These include works by Sandro Botticelli (like Judith with Head of Holofernes), Frans Hals, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and Peter Paul Rubens (Samson and Delilah).

You can also see art by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet (Rocks At Belle Isle), Vincent van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso. The museum also has a large collection of paintings by American artist Frank Duveneck.

Le pain et les œufs, par Paul Cézanne
Le pain et les oeufs

In 2022, something exciting happened! The museum discovered a hidden portrait under Paul Cézanne's 1865 painting Still Life with Bread and Eggs. A conservator noticed unusual cracks and decided to X-ray the painting, revealing the secret image underneath.

The museum's Decorative Arts and Design collection has over 7,000 pieces. This includes works by artists like Paul de Lamerie, Karen LaMonte, and Kataro Shirayamadani.

Selections from the Permanent Collection

Special Exhibitions

The Cincinnati Art Museum often hosts special exhibitions from around the country and the world. These shows usually come with fun public programs, activities, and events. Past exhibitions have included "Paintings, Politics and the Monuments Men: The Berlin Masterpieces in America" and "No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man."

The museum has changed how it plans these special exhibitions over time. Instead of spending a lot of money on big traveling shows, the museum now focuses more on its own amazing collection. For example, in 2010, they created "See America," which was nine smaller shows highlighting different parts of the country using art already owned by the museum. This approach has helped more people visit the museum.

Visiting the Museum

Admission and Hours

It's always free to get into the Cincinnati Art Museum's 73 permanent galleries! The Rosenthal Education Center (REC), which is a fun, interactive family center, is also free. This is thanks to generous support from the Richard and Lois Rosenthal Foundation and others.

The Art Museum is located at 953 Eden Park Drive in Eden Park. It is open from Tuesdays through Sundays.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Museo de Arte de Cincinnati para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Cincinnati Art Museum Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.