Des Moines Art Center Mission
Statement:
The Des Moines Art Center engages diverse local
and international audiences with the art of today through its museum and school,
adding to the cultural record through collections and programs.
Hours of Operation
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 11 am — 4
pm
Thursday: 11 am — 9 pm
Saturday: 10 am — 4 pm
Sunday: Noon — 4
pm
Closed Monday
Restaurant Hours
Tuesday — Saturday: 11 am — 2
pm
Closed Sunday and Monday
Menu changes weekly; to view click HERE
The Art Center is closed on the
following holidays: New Year's Day, Independence Day,
Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve.
FREE admission
supported by Principal Financial Group Foundation, Inc., Vision
Iowa,
and Art Center members.
Statement:
The Des Moines Art Center engages diverse local
and international audiences with the art of today through its museum and school,
adding to the cultural record through collections and programs.
Hours of Operation
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 11 am — 4
pm
Thursday: 11 am — 9 pm
Saturday: 10 am — 4 pm
Sunday: Noon — 4
pm
Closed Monday
Restaurant Hours
Tuesday — Saturday: 11 am — 2
pm
Closed Sunday and Monday
Menu changes weekly; to view click HERE
The Art Center is closed on the
following holidays: New Year's Day, Independence Day,
Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve.
FREE admission
supported by Principal Financial Group Foundation, Inc., Vision
Iowa,
and Art Center members.
ARCHITECTURE OVERVIEW
As noteworthy as the art collection is at the Des Moines Art Center, the
museum likewise boasts an outstanding collection of architecture. The three
architects who have collaborated in the design of the museum, Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei and Richard Meier, are among the greatest names in
architecture of the 20th century. Though each represents a very different style
and period of modern architecture, their combined efforts, starting with
Saarinen’s original Lannon stone building, followed in 1968 by Pei’s
bushhammered concrete addition, and Meier’s three-part clad porcelain and
granite addition in 1985, have resulted in a unique architectural
achievement.
The Art Center’s origin, however, is humble. It can be traced to the Des
Moines Association of Fine Arts, which operated out of the turn-of-the-century
Beaux Arts-style Main Library building on the banks of the Des Moines River in
downtown Des Moines beginning in 1916. A separate museum became possible with a
bequest from James D. Edmundson. At the time of his death in 1933, a trust worth
more than half a million dollars was established with the stipulation that the
money be held for 10 years in the hope that the assets would recover from the
Depression. They did, and in 1943, leading citizens of Des Moines drew up plans
for a modern museum of art.
Des Moines Art Center
Collection Highlights
In its 63 – year history the Art Center has built an
important, world-renowned collection of modern and contemporary art. The
curatorial vision of the institution has placed particular emphasis on acquiring
works of art created around the time of their acquisition which has led to a
singular concentration of modern and contemporary masters. Highlights of the
permanent collection include Constantin Brancusi (Maiastra, 1912-13), Georgia
O’Keeffe (From the Lake No. 1, 1924), Edward Hopper (Automat, 1927), Eva Hesse
(Untitled, 1970), Jeff Koons (New Shelton Wet/Dry Triple Decker, 1981), and
Jean-Michel Basquiat (Untitled, 1984) just to name a few.
In its 63 – year history the Art Center has built an
important, world-renowned collection of modern and contemporary art. The
curatorial vision of the institution has placed particular emphasis on acquiring
works of art created around the time of their acquisition which has led to a
singular concentration of modern and contemporary masters. Highlights of the
permanent collection include Constantin Brancusi (Maiastra, 1912-13), Georgia
O’Keeffe (From the Lake No. 1, 1924), Edward Hopper (Automat, 1927), Eva Hesse
(Untitled, 1970), Jeff Koons (New Shelton Wet/Dry Triple Decker, 1981), and
Jean-Michel Basquiat (Untitled, 1984) just to name a few.
Modern
The Des Moines Art Center holds an impressive range of
works from the beginning decades of the 20th century that tell the dynamic story
of vanguard movements in the visual arts of Europe and the American continent.
Significant works of art from the early modern period range from American
realist artists, George Wesley Bellows, Childe Hassam, Edward Hopper, and John
Singer Sargent, to American modernists such as Marsden Hartley, Georgia
O’Keeffe, and Arthur Dove. Works by other Modernist masters include Alexander
Calder, Jean Dubuffet, and Henri Matisse; and artists such as Jasper Johns and
Robert Rauschenberg whose work transitioned between abstract expressionism and
pop art.
Upcoming Events
VIBRATIONS
January 22 — May 12, 2013
Print Gallery
TRANSPARENCIES
Contemporary Art and A History of
Glass
February 21 — May 26, 2013
Anna K. Meredith Gallery
January 22 — May 12, 2013
Print Gallery
TRANSPARENCIES
Contemporary Art and A History of
Glass
February 21 — May 26, 2013
Anna K. Meredith Gallery