National Art Museum of Sport facts for kids
| Established | 1968 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 2017 |
| Location | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Type | Art Museum |
The National Art Museum of Sport (NAMOS) was a special art museum. It showed amazing artworks that were all about sports! Imagine paintings and sculptures that capture the excitement of a game, the joy of winning, or even the tough feelings of losing. Sport art helps us see how athletes feel and how much effort they put in.
Many famous artists, like Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer, loved sports themselves. They found inspiration in the action and drama of sports. They created unforgettable artworks because of it.
NAMOS had a huge collection of over 1,000 art pieces. These artworks showed heroes from basketball, boxing, baseball, golf, and many other sports. The museum also had a library filled with information about sport art.
The museum had two main goals. First, it wanted to help artists create more sports-themed art. Second, it wanted to collect, protect, and share the best sport art with everyone. NAMOS helped connect the worlds of art and sports.
In 2017, the museum's collection found a new home. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis bought all the artworks. Now, you can see these fantastic pieces there!
History of the Museum
The National Art Museum of Sport was started in 1959. It was founded by Germain G. Glidden, who was an artist and loved sports. The museum first opened its doors in 1968 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Later, in 1979, the museum moved to the University of New Haven. After showing its art at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis, the museum received a special grant. This grant helped it move to Indianapolis.
In 1990, NAMOS opened a gallery in the Bank One Tower (now called Salesforce Tower). Then, in 1994, it moved to Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis. The museum left IUPUI in 2012.
Exhibitions and Famous Artists
The National Art Museum of Sport hosted over 100 art shows around the world. Some famous places where they showed art include:
- the 1964 New York World's Fair
- several Olympic Games events
- Madison Square Garden
- the Biennial Exhibit of Sport Art in Madrid
- the IBM Gallery
- the Pan Am Games
These exhibitions featured artworks by very famous artists. Some of these artists were George Bellows, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Elaine de Kooning, and Andy Warhol. The museum also showed art by new and upcoming artists.
In its last few years, the museum had many interesting exhibitions. These included "Inuit Games," "Winslow Homer: Leisurely Observations," and "Portrait of an Athlete."
During the 2012 Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, the museum had a special show called "The Football Invitational." In May 2012, they also opened "Speed & Motion: Racing to the Finish Line." This show featured a large collection of art by Mina Papatheodorou-Valyraki.
