San Antonio Museum of Art facts for kids
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The San Antonio Museum of Art
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| Established | 1981 |
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| Location | 200 West Jones Avenue San Antonio, Texas  United States |
The San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) is an amazing art museum located in San Antonio, Texas. It's in the downtown area, right by the San Antonio River Walk. This museum is special because it shows art from all over the world, covering 5,000 years of history! It opened in March 1981 after an old brewery building was made new again.
Contents
The Museum's Story
The idea for SAMA started a long time ago. In 1926, the San Antonio Museum Association created the Witte Memorial Museum. This museum collected both art and natural history items. By the 1970s, the Witte Museum had gathered many important artworks. These included pieces by famous artists like Frank Stella.
Because the art collection grew so much, a new plan was made. Jack McGregor, who led the museum association, suggested buying the old Lone Star Brewery. This way, the art collection could have its own separate home. So, the San Antonio Museum of Art officially opened its doors on March 1, 1981.
In 1985, the museum received special collections of Latin American Folk Art. These came from former vice president Nelson A. Rockefeller and Robert K. Winn. The museum is located on the northern part of the Riverwalk. In 2009, the Gloria Galt River Landing opened. This made the museum a key spot on the "Museum Reach" part of the Riverwalk.
Over the years, the museum has added more space for its art. The Cowden Gallery opened in 1991. The Rockefeller Center for Latin American Art was added in 1998. Then, the Brown Asian Art Wing opened in 2005. Now, the museum has a huge amount of gallery space to explore!
What You Can See: The Collections
The museum has over 30,000 objects in its collection. These pieces represent 5,000 years of history and culture from every part of the world. You can find ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art. There are also amazing collections of Asian art, Latin American art, and modern art.
Art from Ancient Times
SAMA has one of the biggest collections of ancient art in the southern United States. This includes art from ancient Egypt, the Near East, Greece, and Rome. The Egyptian collection shows items from very early times all the way to the Roman period. You can also see important Greek and Roman sculptures. These include portraits, statues for tombs, and figures of gods and goddesses.
Asian Art Wonders
The Asian art collection is housed in the Lenora and Walter F. Brown Asian Art Wing. This large area opened in 2005. Over the last 70 years, the museum's Asian art has become truly impressive. It includes more than 1,500 works from many countries. These are places like China, India, Japan, Korea, and Thailand.
Latin American Treasures
The museum has one of the best collections of Latin American art in the United States. This collection is in the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Latin American Art, which opened in 1998. It shows art from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. It also has one of the world's most important collections of Latin American folk art. This collection has over 7,000 objects!
Modern Art Today
A big part of the museum's modern art collection focuses on American painting and sculpture after World War II. It especially highlights abstract art. The museum also collects modern art from Texas artists. You can see paintings and sculptures made by Texas artists from the 1960s to today. The collection includes two sculptures by San Antonio-born Bonnie MacLeary.
Oceanic Art
The museum also has a collection of Oceanic art. You can find these works on the fourth floor of the Nancy Brown Negley West Tower. Many pieces come from Papua New Guinea and French Polynesia. You can also see art from the Maori people, Hawaiian culture, and Aboriginal Australians.
