Pizzuti Collection facts for kids
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| Established | 2013 |
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| Location | 632 N. Park Street, Columbus, Ohio |
| Type | Contemporary art |
| Public transit access |  Add→ 1, 2, 5, CBUS, Night Owl |
The Pizzuti Collection is a really cool museum in Columbus, Ohio. It shows off contemporary art, which means art made in our time. Since September 2018, it has been a special part of the Columbus Museum of Art. This museum has three floors of galleries. You can find it near the Short North and Victorian Village neighborhoods, right next to Goodale Park. The art here changes often, showing works from artists all over the world.
The Pizzuti family first owned this museum. They made their money from a real estate company. The family started collecting art in 1977 after a fun trip to Paris. The Pizzuti Collection first opened its doors in 2013. It showed 16 different art exhibits before it was given to the Columbus Museum of Art in 2018.
What You'll See at the Museum
The museum mainly shows art from the Pizzuti family's own collection. In 2018, they had about 2,400 pieces of modern art! The building itself is in the Short North area. It was built way back in the 1920s. It has a huge space, about 18,000 square feet, for showing art.
The Pizzuti Collection always has new and exciting exhibits. These shows feature artists from many different countries. By the time the museum was given to the Columbus Museum of Art in 2018, it had hosted 16 special exhibits. These shows included artists from 40 different countries. Only a small part of the entire collection is ever shown at one time. This means there's always something new to discover!
How the Museum Started
The building where the museum is now has an interesting past. From 1924 to 2008, it was the main office for a group called the Order of United Commercial Travelers of America.
The Pizzuti family, Ron and Ann Pizzuti, first owned and ran the museum. They got most of their money from their company, Pizzuti Companies, which builds and sells properties. Ron and Ann have been collecting art since about 1977. Ron Pizzuti became interested in art during a visit to Paris. He really liked a painting by Frank Stella. His very first art purchase cost $900. It was a painting called Circus People by Karel Appel. He bought it from an art gallery that used to be in Columbus.
Around 2013, the Pizzutis fixed up the building. They turned it into the public art gallery we see today. The museum officially opened to everyone in 2013.
In September 2018, the Pizzuti family gave the museum and some of its art to the Columbus Museum of Art. Both the Pizzuti Collection and the main Columbus Museum of Art building closed for a while in March 2020. This was because of the coronavirus pandemic.
