Columbus Museum of Art facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Columbus Museum of Art

Former name	Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts
Established	1878
Location	480 E. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43215 United States
Type	Art museum
Public transit access	Add→ 10 CoGo

The Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) is a cool art museum located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. It started way back in 1878 as the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts. This museum was actually the first art museum in Ohio to officially register its plans with the state!

The CMA collects and shows off many types of art. You can see modern and contemporary art from America and Europe, plus folk art, amazing glass art, and photography. Since 2023, Brooke Minto has been the museum's leader.

History of the Museum

The original homes that hosted the art museum (left) and the art school (right)

The CMA began in 1878 as the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts. For a while, starting in 1919, it was located in the Francis C. Sessions house. Mr. Sessions was one of the people who helped start the Columbus Art School, which is now known as Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD). He gave his mansion and land to the art museum. The museum stayed there until 1923.

The Sessions house was later taken down. The museum's current building was then built on the same spot between 1929 and 1931. It officially opened its doors on January 22, 1931. In 1974, a new part was added to the back of the building. The museum building was recognized as a special historic place on March 19, 1992.

In 2007, the Columbus Museum of Art started a huge project to rebuild and make the museum bigger. The first new area opened on January 1, 2011. This new space is called the Center for Creativity. It's a large area where visitors can do hands-on activities, explore galleries, and join workshops.

On October 25, 2015, a brand new part of the museum, called the Margaret M. Walter Wing, opened. This added a lot more space for art and activities. The Walter Wing was designed by Michael Bongiorno.

In September 2018, the Pizzuti Collection, another art museum, joined the CMA. It became a part of the Columbus Museum of Art. Like many places, the museum and its Pizzuti Collection branch had to close temporarily in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ross Building and Its Design

The Pizzuti Collection building

The main museum building, built in 1931, is now known as the Elizabeth M. and Richard M. Ross Building. It was designed by architects Richards, McCarty and Bulford. The building looks like an old European palace, with strong walls made of limestone and concrete.

The building has a special stone carving called The Frederick W. Schumacher Frieze. This amazing artwork shows 68 different artists from ancient times all the way up to 1925!

The main entrance used to have three big arched doorways. Above these arches, the museum's old name, "Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts," was carved.

The Center for Creativity, located on the first floor, is a fun place. It has a Creativity Lounge, The Studio, The Wonder Room, the Big Idea Gallery, and an Open Gallery. These areas are all about letting visitors get creative and explore art in new ways.

Building Photos

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  Current museum entrance

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  The Ross Building, built in 1931

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  The Walter Wing, built in 2015

Art Collections

Weeping Willow by Claude Monet, 1918

The Columbus Museum of Art has a fantastic permanent collection of art. It includes important American and European modern artworks from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Some of the major collections include:

• The Ferdinand Howald Collection, which has early Modernist paintings.
• The Sirak Collection, featuring Impressionist and Expressionist art.
• The Photo League Collection, with many photographs.

The museum also has the largest collections of art by three artists who were born in Columbus: Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson, Elijah Pierce, and George Bellows.

You can see famous paintings like early Cubist works by Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris. There are also paintings by well-known artists such as Paul Cézanne, Mary Cassatt, Claude Monet, Edward Hopper, and Norman Rockwell.

The museum also has many sculptures, including: Hare on Ball and Claw, Intermediate Model for the Arch, and The Mountain. You can explore the entire collection on the museum's website!

A Look at the Permanent Collection

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  Anthony van Dyck, Christian Bruce, 1635

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  Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Varvara Naryshkina, 1800

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  Rosa Bonheur, The Coal Carriers, 1851

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  Winslow Homer, Haymaking, 1864

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  Albert Bierstadt, Landscape, c. 1867-1869

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  Camille Corot, The Little Bird Nesters, 1873

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  Albert Pinkham Ryder, Spirit of Autumn, 1875

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  Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Madame Henriot 'en travesti' (The Page), 1875–76

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  Paul Cézanne, portrait of Victor Chocquet, 1877

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  John Singer Sargent
  Carmela Bertagna
  Oil on canvas, 1879

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  Mary Cassatt, Susan Comforting the Baby No. 1, c. 1881

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  William Michael Harnett, After the Hunt, 1883

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  Claude Monet, The Mediterranean (Cap d'Antibes), 1888

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  Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Christine Lerolle Embroidering, c. 1895

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  Henri Rousseau, Tiger Hunt, c. 1895

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  Mary Cassatt
  Portrait of a Young Woman, Pastel on paper, 1898

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  Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Girl Asleep, 1905–06

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  Marsden Hartley, Cosmos, Oil on Canvas, 1908–09

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  Rockwell Kent, Men and Mountains, 1909

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  Edward Middleton Manigault - The Rocket, 1909

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  Juan Gris, Glass of Beer and Playing Cards, 1914

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  Marsden Hartley, Pre-War Pageant, 1914

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  Jacques Villon, Portrait de M. J. B. peintre (Jacques Bon), 1914

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  Pablo Picasso, Nature morte au compotier (Still Life with Compote and Glass), oil on canvas, 1914–15

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  George Wesley Bellows, Riverfront No. 1, 1915

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  Charles Burchfield, Twilight Moon, 1916

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  Charles Sheeler, Lhasa, 1916

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  Robert Delaunay, Portuguese Woman, Oil on canvas, 1916

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  William Glackens, Beach Scene, New London," 1918

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  Charles Demuth, The Tower, 1920

See also

In Spanish: Museo de Arte de Columbus para niños