New Orleans Museum of Art

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The New Orleans Museum of Art (often referred to as NOMA) in New Orleans, Louisiana, was established in 1911 as the Delgado Museum of Art with a bequest from Isaac Delgado. It is the city's oldest fine arts institution, located within City Park, New Orleans a short distance from the intersection of Carrollton Avenue and Esplanade Avenue.

Main entrance on 3 March 2006, the first day back open after Hurricane Katrina.
Main entrance on 3 March 2006, the first day back open after Hurricane Katrina.

In addition to the main museum building the museum also includes the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, a landscaped 5-acre outdoor site with 50 sculptures set beneath live oaks, pines and magnolias amidst footpaths and lagoons.

NOMA's permanent collection is particularly strong in French and American art, particularly in regards to the Rosemonde E. and Emile Kuntz Collection, and in photography, glass, and African and Japanese works. Its comprehensive collection of French art includes works by Degas, Picasso, Braque, Dufy and Miro. NOMA also has an extensive collection of art of the Americas (North America, Central America, and South America), with works from the pre-Columbian period through the Spanish Colonial era. Of particular note are the Maya and Cuzco items. Notable exhibitions have included treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb, relics of Alexander the Great and his times, a retrospective of Edgar Degas's time in Louisiana, "Carneval!" focusing on the pre-Lenten festivals held in various cities and cultures in Europe and the Americas (including New Orleans Mardi Gras itself), and images and art related to the Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. The Museum's collection was fortunately elevated high enough to escape the flooding in the disastrous post-Katrina levee breaches, with most of the damage only affecting office space in the basement.

The museum has an active educational component, offering guided tours for students of all ages, online teacher guides, on-site school presentations, teacher workshops, and their museum-on-wheels known as "Van Go." Other special events have included movie festivals, musical programs, and more.

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