Memphis Brooks Museum of Art facts for kids
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Fernando Botero's Smoking Woman is looking to the Three Graces of Memphis
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| Established | 1916 |
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| Location | 1934 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee |
| Type | Art museum |
| Public transit access |  MATA |
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is a fantastic art museum located in Memphis, Tennessee. It's the oldest and biggest art museum in the whole state of Tennessee, first opening its doors in 1916. This museum is a private, non-profit place found in Overton Park in Midtown Memphis.
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Discovering the Brooks Museum's History
The main building of the Brooks Museum is very old and beautiful. It was designed in 1913 by James Gamble Rogers in a style called Beaux-Arts. This style uses grand, fancy designs. The building was a gift from Bessie Vance Brooks. She wanted to honor her husband, Samuel Hamilton Brooks.
Over the years, the museum has grown. A round part was added in 1955 by architect Everett Woods. In 1989, the museum got even bigger. This expansion added a new public entrance. It also created a large, three-story space where the old and new parts of the building connect.
What's Inside the Museum?
The Brooks Museum has 29 different art galleries. These are rooms where art is displayed. It also has classrooms for art lessons. There's a special room for studying prints. This room holds over 4,500 works of art on paper. The museum also has a research library with more than 5,000 books. Plus, there's an auditorium for events.
The museum's art collection is huge! It has over ten thousand pieces of art. This includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photographs. You can also see decorative arts, like fancy furniture.
Exploring the Art Collection
The museum's main collection has many different types of paintings. You can see art from the Italian Renaissance. This was a time when art became very realistic and beautiful. There are also Baroque paintings, which are often dramatic. You'll find Impressionist art, which uses small brushstrokes to capture light. Plus, there's art from the 20th century.
Famous Artworks and Artists
One special part of the collection is the Samuel H. Kress Collection. This includes many Renaissance and Baroque paintings. The Brooks Museum also has a great collection of English portraits. These are paintings of people from England. You can see works by famous artists like Gainsborough and Reynolds.
The museum also displays Impressionist works. These include paintings by Camille Pissarro and Renoir. Many American Impressionists are featured too. Look for art by Winslow Homer and Childe Hassam. The modern art collection has pieces by artists like Kenneth Noland and Robert Motherwell. You can also see art by local Memphis artist Carroll Cloar.
Besides paintings, the Brooks Museum has sculptures. It also shows decorative arts from the 19th and 20th centuries. This includes beautiful furniture and textiles.
See also
