Norman Rockwell Museum facts for kids
Norman Rockwell Museum main entrance
(August 2005) |
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| Established | April 3, 1993 (current building) |
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| Location | Stockbridge, Massachusetts |
| Type | Art museum |
| Key holdings | Four Freedoms, Norman Rockwell Archives |
| Architect | Robert A. M. Stern |
| Nearest parking | free parking onsite |
The Norman Rockwell Museum is an art museum located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is a special place dedicated to the amazing art of Norman Rockwell. This museum is home to the world's largest collection of original artwork by Rockwell.
Besides Rockwell's own art, the museum also features traveling exhibitions. These shows often display other cool examples of American illustration. It's a great spot to learn about art that tells a story!
Contents
How the Museum Started
The Norman Rockwell Museum first opened its doors in 1969. It was founded in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, which is the town where Rockwell lived for the last 25 years of his life.
The museum was originally located on Main Street in an old building called the Old Corner House. After 24 years, the museum moved to its current, bigger home. The new building opened on April 3, 1993. A famous architect named Robert A. M. Stern designed this modern museum building.
Exploring Rockwell's Art Collection
The museum has a huge collection of Norman Rockwell's art. You can see 574 original paintings and drawings by him! But that's not all.
The museum also keeps the Norman Rockwell Archives. This is a collection of more than 100,000 items. It includes things like old photographs, letters from fans, and important business papers. These items help us understand Rockwell's life and work even better.
In 2014, the Famous Artists School gave its old records to the museum. Norman Rockwell was one of the artists who helped start this school in 1948. These records include many of Rockwell's early drawings, showing how he created his art.
Famous Paintings to Explore
Here are some of the well-known artworks by Rockwell that you can find at the museum:
- Boy with Baby Carriage, 1916
- No Swimming, 1921
- Girl Reading the Post, 1941
- Rockwell gave this painting to Walt Disney in 1943.
- Walt Disney's daughter, Diane Disney Miller, later gave it to the museum in 2000.
- Four Freedoms, 1943
- Going and Coming, 1947
- Christmas Homecoming, 1948
- Day in the Life of a Little Girl, 1952
- Girl at Mirror, 1954
- Art Critic, 1955
- Marriage License, 1955
- The Runaway, 1958
- Family Tree, 1959
- The Problem We All Live With, 1963
- Murder in Mississippi, 1965
- The Peace Corps (JFK's Bold Legacy), 1966
- Home for Christmas (Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas), 1967
The museum also has a special place called the Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies. This is a research center where people can study American illustration art in depth.
Awards and Special Gifts
The Norman Rockwell Museum has received some important awards. In 2008, it was given the National Humanities Medal. This is a very high honor from the United States government for work in the humanities.
In 2016, the museum received a generous gift of $1.5 million. This money came from the George Lucas Family Foundation. George Lucas is the creator of Star Wars! This gift helps the museum create cool new digital experiences for visitors. These digital tools make learning about art even more fun and interactive.
See also
- List of single-artist museums
