One of the largest art museums in the American South, the new Memphis Art Museum is dedicated to enriching the lives of visitors through an expanding collection, varied exhibitions, and dynamic programs. The new facility includes expanded permanent and temporary galleries, education-related spaces, as well as a sculpture garden for civic gatherings, events and public performances. Included is a fully integrated public/private parking garage and complex art secured delivery system. archimania is the Architect of Record with Pritzker prize laureates Herzog & de Meuron as Design Consultant.
The permanent collection of the Brooks Museum ranges from antiquity to the present day. Highlights include the Samuel H. Kress Collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings; 18th-century British portraiture; British and American decorative arts; American art by Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keeffe, Thomas Hart Benton, Romare Bearden, and Marisol, among others; photographs by William Eggleston and Ernest C. Withers, among others; contemporary art; and work by regional artists. For the last 15 years, the museum has devoted 96% of its acquisition funds to building an important collection of African American art.