Heckscher Museum of Art facts for kids
Main entrance and front facade
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| Established | 1920 |
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| Location | 2 Prime Avenue, Huntington, New York, U.S. |
| Type | Art museum |
The Heckscher Museum of Art is a cool art museum in Huntington, New York, in the United States. It's named after Anna and August Heckscher, who helped start it. In 1920, they gave 185 pieces of art to begin the museum. This art was placed in a beautiful building in Heckscher Park.
Today, the museum has over 2,300 artworks. It focuses on art by American and Long Island artists. You can also see American and European modern art and amazing photographs. One of the most famous paintings there is Eclipse of the Sun (1926) by George Grosz. The museum often changes its exhibits, showing four to five new ones each year.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's Past
The Heckscher Museum of Art was started by Anna and August Heckscher in 1920. It began with August Heckscher's gift of 185 artworks. The museum building was designed by Julius Franke. He was from a New York architecture company called Maynicke & Franke.
In 1957, the town of Huntington gave the museum's management to a group of independent leaders. After this, the museum started to grow its art collection even more. A very large gift of American paintings and drawings came in 2001. This was from Ronald G. Pisano and D. Frederick Baker. It was one of the biggest donations since August Heckscher's first gift.
Exploring the Art Collection
The museum's collection has grown a lot. It started with 185 artworks and now has over 2,300 pieces. These artworks cover more than 500 years of history. The oldest major piece is Virgin, Child, St. John the Baptist and Angels from 1534 by Lucas Cranach the Elder.
The museum has some art from European painters from the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s. But it is especially strong in art by American artists from the 1800s, 1900s, and 2000s. You can even see the entire collection online at heckschercollection.org.
Modern and Abstract Art
The museum has a large collection of modern and abstract art. This includes works by artists like Ilya Bolotowsky, Georgia O'Keeffe, Knox Martin, and Esphyr Slobodkina. Many artworks are also by artists who once lived in Huntington. These include Arthur Dove, Helen Torr, and George Grosz.
Amazing Photography
The photography collection is also very interesting. It features photos by Berenice Abbott, Larry Fink, and Eadweard Muybridge. You can also see Man Ray's Electricité collection from 1931.
The museum is open all year long, from Thursday through Sunday.
