The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is a

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

located in Montgomery,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

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

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

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 (also spaced masterprint) is a work of art produced by a printing process within the Western tradition (mostly by Old Masters). The term remains current in the art trade, and there is no easy alternative in English to distingu ...

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 The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), formerly the American Association of Museums, is a non-profit association whose goal is to bring museums together. Founded in 1906, the organization advocates for museums and provides "museum professionals w ...

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 15, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era, Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil ...

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realism painter and printmaker. He is one of America's most renowned artists and known for his skill in depicting modern American life and landscapes. Born in Nyack, New York, to a ...

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

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

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

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

, ''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 believed to be born in Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley ...

, ''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 (Ashcan School), T ...

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

Studio Glass (Weil Atrium)

* Robin Grebe, ''Sybil'' (2006) *

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

, ''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, ''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, ''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, ''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 and galleries established in 1930 1930 establishments in Alabama