Rubell Museum facts for kids

The Rubell Museum is a cool place where you can see lots of modern art! It used to be called the Rubell Family Collection. This museum has two locations: one in Miami, Florida, and another in Washington, D.C.. It first opened its doors to the public in 1993. A couple named Mera and Don Rubell, who love collecting art, started this museum. They helped make Miami a big spot for modern art. The museum moved to a much bigger building in Miami in 2019 and opened its Washington D.C. location in 2022.

The Story of the Rubell Museum

How It All Started

Don and Mera Rubell got married in 1964. They started collecting art while living in New York City. They saved money each month from Mera's teaching job. This was while Don was studying to become a doctor. Later, Don's brother, Steve Rubell, passed away in 1989. He left them a lot of money. This helped them buy even more art and show it off. They also invested in hotels in Florida to help pay for their growing art collection.

The Rubell Family Collection in Wynwood (1993-2019)

The Rubell Family Collection in its old home in Wynwood, in 2009

In 1993, the Rubells opened their art collection to everyone. It was called the Rubell Family Collection. It was in a building in the Wynwood Art District of Miami. This building used to be a government office. Having the collection there helped the neighborhood grow. Other art galleries and businesses moved into the area. The Rubell family also helped convince Art Basel to have an art fair in Miami. This fair became very famous. The original museum building was updated in 2004. Juan Roselione-Valadez became the director of the Miami museum in 2010.

The Rubell Museum in Allapattah (2019-Present)

In 2019, the museum moved from Wynwood to a new spot. This new area is called Allapattah. The museum was also renamed the Rubell Museum. The new building is made of six old factory buildings. They were redesigned by Selldorf Architects. It has 40 art galleries with huge spaces to show art. There's also a library, a restaurant, a place for performances, and a bookstore. The museum first bought this big area just for storing art. But they realized it was perfect for a bigger, public museum. They sold their old building in Wynwood to pay for this new, larger museum.

The Rubell Museum in Washington, D.C. (2022-Present)

The Rubell Museum DC in Washington, D.C., in 2022

In 2022, the Rubell Museum opened a second location. It is in Washington, D.C.. This new museum is inside the old Randall Junior High School building. It's less than a mile from the National Mall. The Rubells bought this historic building in 2010. They hired Beyer Blinder Belle to fix it up for the new museum. They also worked with another company to build apartments behind the museum. Caitlin Berry became the director of the D.C. museum in August 2022. This second museum opened in October 2022. It has a lot of gallery space and a bookstore. It is free for people who live in Washington, D.C.

Caitlin Berry left the D.C. museum in early 2024. Juan Roselione-Valadez said the museum plans to stay in Washington for a very long time.

Art Collection and Programs

The Rubell Museum has over 7,400 artworks. These works are by more than 1,000 different artists. Don and Mera Rubell are known for how carefully they choose art. They often visit artists' studios many times. They also talk with artists for months or even years. The collection is famous for having many works by African American, Latin American, and Asian artists. The Rubells are also known for finding new artists early on. Many of these artists later became very famous.

The museum's collection includes art by many modern artists. Some of these artists are:

• Nina Chanel Abney
• Hernan Bas
• Jean-Michel Basquiat
• George Condo
• Marlene Dumas
• Katharina Fritsch
• Robert Gober
• Keith Haring
• He Xiangyu
• Damien Hirst
• Jenny Holzer
• Anselm Kiefer
• Jeff Koons
• Barbara Kruger
• Yayoi Kusama
• Kerry James Marshall
• Takashi Murakami
• Oscar Murillo
• Cady Noland
• Sherrie Levine
• Catherine Opie
• Celia Paul
• Richard Prince
• Sterling Ruby
• Charles Ray
• Cindy Sherman
• Rosemarie Trockel
• Kara Walker
• Kehinde Wiley

Since 2011, the museum has had a special program. Artists can live and work at the museum for a while. This is one of the best programs like it in the country. Some artists who have been part of this program include Sterling Ruby, Amoako Boafo, and Lucy Dodd.

In 2024, the Rubell Museum worked with a theater director named Michel Hausmann. They created "The Museum Plays" with the Miami New Drama theater company. This was a special theater experience. It let visitors explore parts of the museum's art collection in a new way. It included short plays. Each play was inspired by a specific artwork. The plays were performed right next to the art! This project showed how art and theater can work together. It helped visitors enjoy the museum even more.

Exhibitions

The Rubell Museum has shown many exhibitions. A lot of these shows have traveled to other museums. In 2011, the museum's exhibition 30 Americans started touring. It first went to the North Carolina Museum of Art. 30 Americans features art by African-American artists from the museum's collection. It has toured to over a dozen museums and was still touring in 2022.

The first exhibition at the D.C. museum was called What's Going On (2022). This show honored Marvin Gaye. He had attended the old school building where the museum is now located.