During your visit to this Alabama attraction, explore an impressive collection of American paintings and sculpture from the colonial period to the present. Enjoy the outdoor sculpture that is part of Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts’ collection in the Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park. The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts also houses Café M and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Museum Store.
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Permanent Collection
American Paintings and Sculpture
Since opening in 1930, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts has acquired individual works and collections that have made its American paintings and sculpture collection among the most comprehensive in the Southeastern US. Highlights of the American Paintings and Sculpture Collection include John Singleton Copley’s Joseph Henshaw, Portrait of Benjamin Tappan by Gilbert Stuart, Edward Hick’s Peaceable Kingdom, In the Realm of Fantastic by Ford Crull and David Bierk’s Requiem for a Planet, to Moran and Hopper.
American Works on Paper
A number of significant American works on paper including watercolors, drawings and prints from 20th and 21st centuries are included in the art museum’s American Works on Paper Collection. Delight in watercolors by Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, Charles Demuth and John Martin. Modern prints by George Bellows, Thomas Hart Benton, Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, Josef Albers, Richard Diebenkorn and Frank Stella are also featured in the American Works on Paper Collection.
Regional Art of the Southeast
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts’ holdings include excellent examples of regional art from the 1930s to the present day. Within the Regional Art of the Southeast Collection are drawings by self-taught painter and draftsman Bill Traylor and interpretations of the local landscape by J. Kelly Fitzpatrick.
Old Master Prints
Woodcuts, etchings, engravings and other multiples by artists from the 15th to the 19th century make up the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts’ Old Prints Collection. Many of the outstanding printmakers of art history are represented in the museum’s collection: 15th century engravers such as Martin Schongaur and Albrecht Dürer, over 90 works by Rembrandt van Rijn, as well as etchings by Canaletto and Callot, aquatints by Goya, and lithographs by Whistler.
Self Taught and Folk Art
The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts has acquired a substantial collection of work by self-taught artists over the years from the state of Alabama and the Southeastern United States. The collection includes works by Bill Traylor, Elijah Pierce, Clementine Hunter, Jesse J. Aaron, Sam Doyle, Sybil Gibson and Mary Maxtion.
Photography
A large portion of the museum’s Photography Collection reflects the 20th century photography tradition of the American Southeast. Additionally, the collection includes photographs by Hine, Eudora Welty, Walker Evans, Michael McKenna, Rudy Burkhardt, and William Wegman. Portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh is also represented in the collection by portraits of great figures of the 20th century.
Historical American Art Glass
The historical American Art Glass Collection is comprised of objects made in the United States between the end of the 19th century and the 1920s. Highlights of the collection include pieces by the Tiffany Studios, Steuben Glass, The Quezal Art Glass Company and the studio of Victor Durand.
American Studio Art Glass
Since the American Studio Art Glass Collection was established in 1998, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts has worked to acquire representative examples by the most prominent American studio glass artists. Lino Tagliapietra, Dale Chihuly, William Morris and Stephen Rolfe Powell are just a few of the artists whose works are in the collection.
Historical Porcelain
Featured in the museum’s Historical Porcelain Collection is the Loeb Collection, focusing on the First Period of Worcester production between 1751 and 1783. Additionally, the collection includes a display of Chinese export porcelain gifted to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts by William Francis McCall, Jr. in 1991.
Sculpture in Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park
The outdoor sculpture in Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park is part of the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts’ collection. Stroll along the parks winding paths and delight in the sculptures that dot the park. Sculpture highlights include Charlie Lucas’ The New Breed, Passevent by Antoine Poncet, Edward Lee Hendricks’ 1991-IV and The Magic Hoop and The Till Fountain by Frank Fleming.
Start or end your visit to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Café M. On the menu you will find a variety of delicious lunch items including sandwiches, soups, salads and entrées all made from fresh, local ingredients.
Shopping at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Museum Store
Be sure to stop by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Museum Store. Original art created by local and regional artists and art books related to the museum’s collection, artists and special exhibitions are available to purchase.
Travel Tip
- In addition to its permanent collection, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts features an exciting array of special exhibitions throughout the year.