- Cincinnati Art Museum
-
Coordinates: 39°06′53″N 84°29′49″W / 39.114637°N 84.496965°W
Cincinnati Art Museum 
Location within {{{pushpin_map}}}Established 1881 Location 953 Eden Park Dr.
Cincinnati, OhioType Art museum Visitor figures 250,000 Director Aaron Betsky Curator Dr. James Crump, Chief Curator
Cynthia Amnéus, Fashion Arts and Textiles
Dr. Julie Aronson, American Painting and Sculpture
Amy Miller Dehan, Decorative Arts
Jessica Flores, Contemporary Art
Dr. Benedict Leca, European Painting and Sculpture
Dr. Glenn Markoe, Classical and Near Eastern Art, Art of Africa and the Americas
Kristen Spangenberg, Prints
Dr. Hou-mei Sung, Asian ArtPublic transit access SORTA Metro bus #1 Website www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in the United States. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies. Its collection of over 60,000 works make it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Midwest.
Museum founders debated locating the museum in either Burnett Woods, Eden Park, or downtown Cincinnati on Washington Square. Charles West, the major donor of the early museum, cast his votes in favor of Eden Park sealing its final location. The Romanesque-revival building designed by Cincinnati architect James W. McLaughlin opened in 1886. A series of additions and renovations have considerably altered the building over its 120 year history.
In 2003, a major addition, The Cincinnati Wing [1] was added to house a permanent exhibit of art created for Cincinnati or by Cincinnati artists since 1788. The Cincinnati Wing includes fifteen new galleries covering 18,000 square feet (1,700 m2) of well-appointed space, and 400 objects. The Odoardo Fantacchiotti angels are two of the largest pieces in the collection. Fantacchiotti created these angels for the main altar of St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in the late 1840s. They were among the first European sculptures to come to Cincinnati.[2]. The Cincinnati Wing also contains the work of Frank Duveneck, Rookwood Pottery, Robert Scott Duncanson Mitchell and Rammelsberg (Cincinnati's premier 19th century furniture manufacturer) and a tall case clock by Luman Watson.
Contents
History
In the late nineteenth century, public art museums were still very much a new phenomenon, especially as far west as Cincinnati. Following the success of the 1876 Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia, the Women's Art Museum Association was organized in Cincinnati with the intent of bringing such an institution to the region for the benefit of all citizens. Enthusiasm for these goals grew steadily and by 1881 the Cincinnati Museum Association was incorporated. Just five years later, in May 1886, a permanent art museum building was completed in Eden Park and was heralded worldwide as "The Art Palace of the West."
The Cincinnati Art Museum enjoyed the support of the community from the beginning. Generous donations from a number of prominent Cincinnatians, including Melville E. Ingalls,[1] grew the collection to number in the tens of thousands of objects, which soon necessitated the addition of the first of several Art Museum expansions.
In 1907 the Schmidlapp Wing opened, which was followed by a series of building projects. The addition of the Emery (named after Cincinnati philanthropists Thomas J. Emery and his wife Mary Emery), Hanna and French wings in the 1930s enclosed the courtyard and gave the Art Museum its current rectangular shape and provided the space in which our American, European and Asian collections are currently shown.
Renovations during the late 1940s and early 1950s divided the Great Hall into two floors and the present main entrance to the Art Museum was established. The 1965 completion of the Adams-Emery wing increased our facility resources yet further, adding space for the permanent collection, lecture halls and temporary exhibition galleries.
Cincinnati Art Museum Interior
In 1993, a $13 million project restored the grandeur of the Art Museum's interior architecture and uncovered long-hidden architectural details. This project included the renovation of one of the Art Museum's signature spaces, the Great Hall. In addition, new gallery space was created and lighting and climate control were improved. The Art Museum's temporary exhibition space was expanded to approximately 10,000 square feet (930 m2) to accommodate major temporary exhibitions.
By the turn of the twenty-first century, the Art Museum's collection numbered over 60,000 objects and, today, is the largest in the state of Ohio. In 2003, the Cincinnati Art Museum deepened its ties with the Greater Cincinnati community by opening the popular and expansive Cincinnati Wing, the first permanent display of a city's art history in the nation. In addition, on May 17, 2003, the Art Museum eliminated its general admission fee forever, made possible by The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation.[2]
Recent History
In 2006, the Art Museum marked its 125th anniversary, with 125 days of programs and events.[3] Also in 2006, the Art Museum hired its current director, Aaron Betsky.[4]
In 2009, the Art Museum made all special exhibitions free admission and instated a $4 parking fee.[5]
Collection
The art museum has paintings by several European Masters, including: Master of San Baudelio, Jorge Ingles, Sandro Botticelli ("Judith with Head of Holofernes"), Matteo di Giovanni, Mattia Preti, Strozzi, Frans Hals, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ("St. Thomas of Villanueva"), Rubens ("Samson and Delilah") and Aert Vander Neer. The collection also includes works by Corot, Renoir, Pissarro, Monet ("Rocks At Belle Isle") and Picasso. The museum also has a large collection of paintings by American painter Frank Duveneck ("Elizabeth B. Duveneck").
Admission and hours of operation
General admission to the Cincinnati Art Museum is free every day, made possible by a donation from The Richard and Lois Rosenthal Foundation. Special exhibition fees may apply. Saturday's free admission is funded by The Thomas J. Emery Free Day Endowment, established by Mary Emery in 1906. Free general admission for children is made possible in part through an endowment established by Cincinnati Financial Corporation/The Cincinnati Insurance Companies. Education program fees may apply to adults and children.
The Art Museum, located at 953 Eden Park Drive in Eden Park, is open Tuesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays. Parking fee per vehicle is $4.
External links
Coordinates: 39°06′53″N 84°29′49″W / 39.114637°N 84.496965°W
References
- ^ "MELVILLEE. INGALLS, FINANCIER, IS DEAD". The New York Times: p. C5. July 12, 1914. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9902E6D81F39E633A25751C1A9619C946596D6CF.
- ^ http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/absolutenm/templates/ArtTempTheMuseum.aspx?articleid=31&zoneid=9
- ^ http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/absolutenm/templates/ArtTempNews.aspx?articleid=130&zoneid=111 Art Museum Celebrates Anniversary All Summer
- ^ http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/absolutenm/templates/ArtTempNews.aspx?articleid=298&zoneid=110 Cincinnati Art Museum Hires New Director
- ^ http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/absolutenm/templates/ArtTempNews.aspx?articleid=838&zoneid=89 Great Art Free: Cincinnati Art Museum Expands its Free Admission Policy to Include Entrance to All Special Exhibitions
Categories:- Art museums in Ohio
- Museums in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Institutions accredited by the American Association of Museums
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
