Indianapolis has few terrific museums, and in one of my recent visits I decided to stop by the Indianapolis Museum of Art to check out what they have to offer in my artistic domain of interest – contemporary art. Most of the 4th floor is dedicated to contemporary art, and they have quite a few interesting exhibits, some of which I even recognized from visits to other exhibitions around the world. Another lovely surprise was the modern industrial design section, an often neglected type of art that to me is fascinating. The museum is relatively well-known in the US, being one of the largest and oldest museums in the region.
Wikipedia offers some general quirky facts about the museum:
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (known colloquially as the IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a 152-acre (0.62 km2) campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is the ninth oldest and eighth largest encyclopedic art museum in the United States. The permanent collection comprises over 54,000 works, including African, American, Asian, and European pieces. Significant areas of the collection include: Neo-Impressionist paintings; Japanese paintings of the Edo period; Chinese ceramics and bronzes; paintings, sculptures, and prints by Paul Gauguin and the Pont-Aven School; a large number of works by J. M. W. Turner; and a growing contemporary art collection. Other areas of emphasis include textiles and fashion arts as well as a recent focus on modern design.
Ready to have a look?
We’ll start from the contemporary art…
This one, for example, I recognized from my visit to the Beijing 798…
Moving on to the modern industrial design section…
Pretty cool stuff.
This next curious thing hangs at the entrance to the museum, attracting lots of attention from kids…
Location:
If you enjoy visiting art museums and living in the area, this is definitely what you’re looking for. Stop by if you’re in Indy.