Speed Art Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Speed Art Museum

Speed Art Museum, March 2016
Established	1927
Location	2035 South 3rd Street Louisville, Kentucky 40208
Type	Art

The Speed Art Museum is Kentucky's oldest and biggest art museum. People in Louisville often call it the Speed. It opened in 1927 in Louisville, Kentucky, right next to the University of Louisville. About 180,000 people visit the museum each year.

The museum offers many fun "art experiences." These include special Community Days and Family Days. There's also the Art Sparks Interactive Family Gallery, where you can get hands-on with art. A popular event is After Hours at the Speed, which happens at night. The Speed also has a great movie theater that shows unique films.

The Speed Art Museum has art from all over the world. This includes ancient, classical, modern, and contemporary art. The main focus is on Western art, from old times to today. You can see many paintings from the Netherlands, France, and Italy. The museum also has important modern art and American decorative art. Plus, there are cool works on paper, Native American art, and African art.

The Speed Art Museum's Story

The Speed Art Museum was built in 1927. Arthur Loomis designed the building in the Neo-Classical style. He was a famous architect in Louisville. The original building looked simple and elegant, made of limestone. Hattie Bishop Speed started the museum to honor her husband, James Breckenridge Speed. He was a well-known businessman and art lover in Louisville. Hattie Speed gave money to the museum so it could always be free to visit.

From 2012 to 2016, the museum had a big renovation. It cost $60 million and was designed by architect Kulapat Yantrasast. While the main museum was closed, a smaller place called Local Speed opened. It was in Louisville's East Market District and showed different art exhibits.

The museum's new North Building added a lot of space. It doubled the total size and almost tripled the gallery space. This new area allowed for bigger art shows and new galleries for modern art. It also added a family education center, a movie theater, a cafe, and a museum shop. A new outdoor area, the Elizabeth P. and Frederick K. Cressman Art Park, was made for sculptures.

Important Dates in Speed Art Museum History

• 1927 – The Speed Art Museum opened. Over 74,000 people visited in its first year.
• 1928 – The museum celebrated the 100th birthday of Kentucky painter Matthew Harris Jouett. They showed many of his portraits.
• 1933 – The museum became a private organization. A group of governors was set up to run it.
• 1934 – The museum received its first big gift. Dr. Frederick Weygold donated a valuable collection of North American Indian artifacts.
• 1941 – Dr. Preston Pope Satterwhite gave his collection of 15th and 16th-century French and Italian Decorative Arts. This included tapestries and furniture.
• 1944 – Dr. Satterwhite also donated an English Renaissance room. It was moved from Devon, England, to the museum. This gift meant the museum needed more space. Dr. Satterwhite also left money for an addition, which was finished in 1954.
• 1946 – Paul S. Harris became the museum's first professional director. During his time, the museum mainly bought decorative arts and furniture.
• 1964 – New paintings and furniture from Mrs. W. Blakemore Wheeler's collection went on display. These included works by Mary Cassatt, John Constable, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
• 1966 – The Charter Collectors Group formed. They helped the museum buy art made before 1940.
• 1970 – The New Art Collectors Group formed. They helped the museum buy contemporary art.
• 1973 – The North Wing of the museum opened. It added space for a theater, offices, and a library.
• 1977 – The Speed celebrated its 50th anniversary. It bought Rembrandt's Portrait of a Woman, a very important artwork.
• 1983 – The 1983 Wing opened. It was designed by Robert Geddes. This new wing added more gallery space for art collections and special shows.
• 1996 – Alice Speed Stoll passed away. She left over $50 million to the museum. The Speed closed for a big renovation. New lighting, heating, and cooling systems were installed. They also added the Laramie L. Learning Center and the Art Sparks Interactive Family Gallery.
• 1997 – The museum reopened after its renovation.
• 2012 – The museum began another major project. It was a $60 million expansion. The museum closed to the public for three years during this construction.
• 2013 – The Speed staff moved to a temporary location downtown. They opened Local Speed, a satellite space for exhibits and family activities.
• 2016 – The main museum reopened on March 12.

Art Collections at the Speed

Rembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of a Forty-Year-Old Woman, 1634

Frederick Arthur Bridgman, Funeral of a Mummy on the Nile, 1877

John Singer Sargent, Interior of the Hagia Sophia, 1891

The Speed Art Museum has many types of art. This includes African art, ancient art, Native American art, American art, European art, and contemporary art.

Here are some famous artists whose works are in the collection:

European painting and sculpture

Modern art

American painting and sculpture

Contemporary art

Museum Directors

• 2017–2021: Stephen Reily
• 2021–present: Raphaela Platow

More to Explore

• List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area
• List of museums in the Louisville metropolitan area