Dahesh Museum of Art facts for kids
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| Established | 1995 |
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| Location | 178 East 64th Street, New York 10065 (opening winter 2019/2022) |
The Dahesh Museum of Art is a unique museum in the United States. It is the only museum dedicated to collecting and showing European academic art from the 19th and 20th centuries. Academic art refers to the style taught in art academies. This museum's collection started with Lebanese writer and philosopher Salim Moussa Achi (1909–1984). He was known by his pen name, Dr. Dahesh. The museum's main collection has over 2,000 academic paintings. Many of these are notable Orientalist paintings, which show scenes and ideas from the Middle East and North Africa.
The museum's regular exhibition space closed in 2008. This meant the museum was only available online or through traveling shows for a while. In early 2012, the museum opened an office and gift shop. This was in Manhattan's Hudson Square area, near SoHo. In 2015, renovations began on the museum's new permanent home. This new location is at 178 East 64th Street. The museum's website says it expects to open there in winter 2019–2020.
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What Art Does the Dahesh Museum Collect?
The Dahesh Museum is famous for its amazing collections. It has many Orientalist paintings. These artworks often show scenes from the Middle East. The museum also has works by American illustrators. Illustrators are artists who create pictures for books or magazines.
The History of the Dahesh Museum
How the Museum Started
The museum began because of Dr. Dahesh's art collection. When he passed away, the Zahid family inherited his artworks. Five members of this family are on the museum's Board. They decided to create the museum in Manhattan, New York City. They chose New York instead of Lebanon. This was due to challenges in Lebanon's art community.
The museum officially opened in 1995. It was in a gallery on Fifth Avenue. In its early years, the museum faced some difficulties. This was partly because its founder, Dr. Dahesh, was not widely known. Also, some people didn't see illustration as a serious art form.
Growth and New Locations
Despite these challenges, the museum became popular. About 20,000 people visited it each year. In just over five years, the museum built up a large fund of $30 million. This was a big achievement for a new museum.
In September 2003, the museum moved to a much larger space. This new location was at 580 Madison Avenue. It opened three years after trying for a property at Columbus Circle. The new space used to be the IBM Gallery. It was completely redesigned by a company called Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates.
Moving and Traveling Exhibitions
The museum moved out of the Madison Avenue space in January 2008. This was because of issues with the rent. While the museum didn't have a physical building in New York City, its collection still traveled. The museum loaned its artworks to other museums and galleries. Its website was also updated to let people see the collection online.
In early 2012, the Dahesh Museum opened a gift shop and salon space. This was on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan's Hudson Square neighborhood. This space allowed for some public events. It also showed a small part of the museum's collection. The museum continued to look for a permanent home. It described its mission as a "museum without walls."
See also
- Art Renewal Center
