Saint Louis Art Museum
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The Saint Louis Art Museum is rated as one of the principal art museums in the United States and is visited by up to a half million persons every year. Admission is free.
Located in Forest Park in St. Louis Missouri, the museum was originally built as the Palace of the Fine Arts for the 1904 World's Fair, also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The Roman Baths inspired the design of architect Cass Gilbert. Limestone and brick are the primary construction materials.
In 1907 legislation was applied which allowed the building to become the official Municipal Art museum and supported it with a tax levy. An Organizing Board was assigned in 1909 and took control in 1912. Later the Metropolitan Museum District became the manager of the Saint Louis Art Museum. As new administrators, the Metropolitan District promoted a restoration program for five years starting in 1972. Today those restorations help maintain the building in optimal condition.
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[edit] History
The history of the art museum can be traced back to 1879. Before becoming the Saint Louis Art Museum, the building was named as "St. Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts", a department of Washington University. After its service in 1904 World Fair the central structure that cost million dollars became a public city museum in 1906.
The building experienced two major expansions in 1906 and 1916. During the 1950s, an auditorium was added to the main building, making the museum more valuable. In 1972 the Saint Louis Art Museum's east wing began a renovation program. It took five years and cost $32 million to finish. The whole renovation project not only kept genuine features of the original design, but also combined it with modern decorative characteristics.
By generous support from public associations and individuals, the museum has been expanding its collections significantly. The museum arranged paintings, sculptures, modern art and other ancient historical masterpieces from different continents in a three-storey exhibition room.
In addition to arranging different exhibitions seasonally, the art museum provides educational tours to students and their teachers. Field trips to the Saint Louis Art Museum have become a major part of study in history and in art for students. This museum became a place offering opportunities to young artists from virtually all areas to show their works. Meanwhile, some of these talented artists can establish their reputation from specific exhibitions.
[edit] Collection
The collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum contains more than 30,000 art works, and includes works from antiquity to the present across the world. The collection is divided into nine areas:
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- African
- American
- Ancient and Islamic
- Asian
- Decorative Art and Design
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Modern
- Oceania and the Americas
- Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
The collection of modern art is an especially popular component because it includes works by world-famous artists, such as Matisse, Gauguin, Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh. In addition, not only the collection of Turkish rugs, but also Oceanic and Pre-Columbian pieces are known for being among the finest in the world. It has a particularly good collection of 20th-century German painting. Three Egyptian mummies and “Keith” (1970, Chuck Close) are also must-see works in this museum.
[edit] Services
- Artistic Classes
The art museum provides many artistic classes for children, adults, and teachers. Each class costs about $20-$300. Those courses would develop your artistic skills and you will have a lot of fun from studying art.
- Richardson Memorial Library
If you want to do research about history art, this library is the first place that you should visit. It is the largest center for the history and documentation of art in the central Midwest. Richardson Memorial Library collects several art materials including 71,000 volumes, 425 periodical titles, rare documents, auction catalogues since 1825, and the Museum Archives.
- Resource Center
The Saint Louis Art Museum's Resource center provides many materials including posters, slide kits, touch kits, video tapes, and info kits for you to learn art. And these are all free.
- Free Guided Tour
The Saint Louis Art Museum has free guided tour services for groups (20-60 people). A trained docent will lead your group to joy artworks around the museum and give you interesting information about those works.
[edit] References
- Visitor Guide (brochure), Saint Louis Museum of Art, 2005.
