De Saisset Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1955 |
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| Location | Santa Clara, California, U.S. |
| Type | Art museum |
| Accreditation | American Association of Museums |
| Founder | Isabel de Saisset |
The de Saisset Museum is an art and history museum located at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. It first opened its doors in 1955. The museum has almost 10,000 amazing art pieces and historical items. You can see art by early Californian artist Ernest de Saisset and many artifacts from California missions. The de Saisset Museum is free to visit and has recently updated its storage areas.
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Exploring the De Saisset Museum
This museum building is about 19,210 square feet (1,785 square meters). It sits right in front of Mission Santa Clara de Asís. The museum has been a part of the university campus since 1955. It is one of only two museums in the San Jose area that is officially recognized by the American Alliance of Museums. This means it meets high standards!
The museum building has three levels. It looks like the old Spanish missions, which is a style common on the Santa Clara campus. You can even see the de Saisset family symbol above the main door.
The ground floor has a main entrance area and several rooms for special visiting exhibits. There is also a large hall for talks and activities. Upstairs, you can find exhibits from the museum's permanent collection. The basement shows historical artifacts and more art from the permanent collection. It also has special drawers where you can view many European prints.
History of the Museum
The De Saisset Family Story
The museum is named after the de Saisset family. Pedro de Alcântara Brasileiro de Saisset was born in Paris, France. He was connected to the royal family of Portugal and Brazil. He moved from France to California around the time of the gold rush. He hoped to find new opportunities there.
In California, Pedro worked as a representative for his country in San Jose. He also started an electric light company in San Jose. He married Maria de Jesus Palomares and they had four children: Henrietta, Ernest, Pierre, and Isabel.
None of these children had kids of their own, except Henrietta who married. Ernest was the oldest son. He started studying at Santa Clara College when he was sixteen. He was good at French and drawing. His art teacher, Fr. Bartholomew Tortone, liked his work.
Since there were not many art teachers in California back then, the de Saisset family sent Ernest to Paris to study art more. He went to a famous art school called Académie Julian. Ernest came back to California in 1895. Sadly, he passed away four years later in 1899.
How the Museum Began
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Isabel de Saisset was the last member of her family. Before she passed away in 1950, she told the president of the University of Santa Clara her wish. She wanted to donate her family's land and art collection to build a gallery and museum. She also gave many of her personal items, like jewelry and tapestries.
The museum officially opened in 1955. Since then, the museum has grown its collections a lot. It now has many objects from the United States and other countries.
Some of the cool things you can see in the de Saisset's permanent collection include old prints from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. These are by famous artists like Albrecht Dürer and William Hogarth. The museum also has modern prints by artists such as Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. Plus, there are important collections of modern prints and photographs.
See also
