The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

located in Montgomery,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, USA, featuring several art collections. The permanent collection includes examples of 19th- and 20th-century American

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

s and

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, Southern regional art,

Old Master print An old master print is a work of art produced by a printing process within the Western tradition. The term remains current in the art trade, and there is no easy alternative in English to distinguish the works of "fine art" produced in printmakin ...

s and decorative arts. It is also home to Artworks, a participatory art gallery and studio for children. The current building was designed by the Montgomery architectural firm of Barganier, Davis, and Sims and opened in 1988. An addition was completed in 1993.

History

The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1930 with the mission "to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art of the highest quality for the enrichment, enlightenment, and enjoyment of its public." The museum is the oldest fine arts museum in Alabama and was the first museum in Alabama to be accredited by the

American Alliance of Museums American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

in June 1978. The museum moved to its current home in the Blount Cultural Park, in 1988. The museum's permanent collection consists of paintings, sculpture, and works on paper that represent the work of artists of national as well as regional reputation. The core of the American collection is the Blount Collection of American Art, a group of forty-one paintings that includes works by

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realist painter and printmaker. While he is widely known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. Hopper created subdued drama ...

, and

Winslow Homer Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th-century America and a preeminent figure in ...

. The MMFA has a collection of Old Master prints, including works by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

, Dürer, and Whistler. The museum hosts a broad range of temporary exhibitions with art from international and American collections as well as works by contemporary artists. Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts 02

The MMFA's art reference library has more than 4,000 volumes, periodicals, videotapes, and CDs, available to those needing information or doing research. One major component of the education program is ARTWORKS, an interactive gallery designed to interpret items from the Museum's permanent collection through hands-on exhibits. The ARTWORKS gallery attracts over 60,000 people each year. Other programs for youth include a preschool puppet show; a tour program for every third grade student in

Montgomery Public Schools Montgomery Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. The current Superintendent of Montgomery Public Schools is Melvin Brown. The district serves the city of Montgomery and surrounding Montgomery Co ...

; after school programs for under-served youth, and the AP Art History Course that allows high school students to earn college credit. Educational programming is offered through workshops, tours, lectures, and other activities. From an annual attendance of 160,000 visitors, the museum estimates that roughly half of its visitors participate in an educational offering. The MMFA receives approximately two-thirds of its annual budget from the city and county of Montgomery, with the remainder provided through the MMFA Association, a private support group. Corporate and individual memberships comprise the largest source of MMFA Association revenue. Additional income is generated through the Museum Shop, special events, catalog sales and program fees. The Museum recently completed an $8 million capital campaign for endowment and building expansion. The new Education Wing, dedicated in March 2007, provides gallery space and doubled the size of the ARTWORKS interactive gallery and studio space. This expansion allows the museum to more fully accommodate the demands of growing public interest. The museum is a member of the

North American Reciprocal Museums The North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) program is an affiliation of arts, historical, and cultural institutions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and El Salvador which offer reciprocal benefits to qualifying members of other part ...

program. The museum opened the John and Joyce Caddell Sculpture garden in 2018, on three acres as part of the adjoining park. The garden features traveling exhibits from throughout the world.

Galleries and collections

Hudson and Krenshaw Galleries

Jacques Amans Jacques Guillaume Lucien Amans (1801–1888) was a French Neoclassicism, neoclassical portrait painter working in New Orleans in the 1840s and 1850s.Gerdts, William H., Art Across America, River Cross Press (Abbeville Press), Vol II, p. 94, 1990. ...

, ''Portrait of J.A. Rozier'' *

Adolph Weinman Adolph Alexander Weinman (December 11, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was a Germany-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor. Early life and education Adolph Alexander Weinman was born December 11, 1870 at Durmersheim, near Karlsruhe, Germ ...

, ''Rising Day'' *

, ''Descending Night''

Blount Collection

, ''Mrs. Louis E. Raphael (Henriette Goldschmidt)'' (ca. 1906) *

John Singleton Copley John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was probably born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Anglo-Irish. Afte ...

, ''Joseph Henshaw'' (ca. 1770–1774) *

John Sloan John French Sloan (August 2, 1871 – September 7, 1951) was an American painter and etcher. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Ashcan school of American art. He was also a member of the group known as The Eight. He is best known ...

, ''Grand Central Station'' (1924)

Decorative Arts

* Worcester Porcelain Factory, ''Tankard'' (1754–1755 * Worcester Porcelain Factory, ''Teapot and Cover'' (ca. 1758–1760)

Young Gallery

Dale Kennington Dale Wilson Kennington (January 24, 1935 – May 2, 2017) was a Contemporary Artist working in the style of New American Realism. Life Kennington was born in Savannah, Georgia and lived most of her life in Dothan, Alabama. She received a B.A ...

, ''Long Day, Late Night'' (2002–2004)

Studio Glass (Weil Atrium)

Robin Grebe Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest ro ...

, ''Sybil'' (2006) *

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

, ''Reliquary Vessel'' (1998)

John and Joyce Caddell Sculpture Garden

*Adam Bodine, ''What You Say'' (2012) *Craigger Browne and Marcello Giorgi, ''Nostra Luna'' (2019) *

Deborah Butterfield Deborah Kay Butterfield (born May 7, 1949) is an American sculptor. Along with her artist-husband John Buck, she divides her time between a farm in Bozeman, Montana, and studio space in Hawaii. She is known for her sculptures of horses made fr ...

, ''Isbelle'' (2001) *Patrick Dougherty, ''Rough and Tumble'' (2020) *Casey Downing, Jr., ''Circular'' (2018) *Christopher Fennell, ''Skate Leaves'', (2018) *Randy Gachet, ''Hollow Sphere Theory'' (2018) *Jamey Grimes, ''Teraxacum'' (2019) *

Joe Minter Joe Minter (born March 28, 1943) is an American sculptor based in Birmingham, Alabama. His ''African Village in America'', on the southwest edge of Birmingham, is an ever-evolving art environment populated by sculptures he makes from scrap metal ...

, ''The Sweat of the Mule and the Sharecropper'' (''s.d.'') *Joe Minter, ''Tools of the Sharecropper'' (''s.d.'') *Joe Minter, ''The Next Generation of Sharecroppers'' (''s.d.'') *Joe Minter, ''The Zulu Chief Surrounded by Four Warriors'' (''s.d.'') *Chris Boyd Taylor, ''Stadium Sphere no. 1'' (2018) *Craig Wedderspoon, ''Oval'' (2018) *

Jessie Duncan Wiggin Jessie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jessie (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jessie (surname), a list of people Arts and entertainment * ''Jessie'' (2011 TV series), a 2011–15 Disney Channel ...

, ''Untitled (Nymph)'' (1933)

References

{{authority control Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums Art museums and galleries in Alabama Museums in Montgomery, Alabama Art museums established in 1930 1930 establishments in Alabama