The Cincinnati Art Museum is an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily co ...

in the

Eden Park Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount E ...

neighborhood of

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies, and is one of the oldest in the United States. Its collection of over 67,000 works spanning 6,000 years of human history make it one of the most comprehensive collections in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

. Museum founders debated locating the museum in either

Burnet Woods Burnet Woods, owned and operated by the Cincinnati Park Board, is an city park in Cincinnati, Ohio. The neighborhoods of Clifton and University Heights bound the park on three sides, while the University of Cincinnati west campus forms the s ...

, Eden Park, or downtown Cincinnati on Washington Park. Charles West, the major donor of the early museum, cast his votes in favor of Eden Park sealing its final location. The Romanesque-revival building designed by Cincinnati architect

James W. McLaughlin James W. McLaughlin (November 1, 1834 – March 4, 1923) was a Cincinnati, Ohio architect. He studied to be an architect working under famed James Keys Wilson. He fought in the American Civil War serving in the Union Army. During the ...

opened in 1886. A series of additions and renovations have considerably altered the building over its -year history. In 2003, a major addition, The Cincinnati Wing was added to house a permanent exhibit of art created for Cincinnati or by Cincinnati artists since 1788. The Cincinnati Wing includes fifteen new galleries covering of well-appointed space, and 400 objects. The

Odoardo Fantacchiotti Odoardo Fantacchiotti (20 May 181124 June 1877) was an Italian sculptor of the late-Neoclassic period. Biography He was born in Rome, but his family moved to Florence. In 1820, he enrolled in the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze. At the Acade ...

angels are two of the largest pieces in the collection. Fantacchiotti created these angels for the main altar of St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in the late 1840s. They were among the first European

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 ...

s to come to Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Wing also contains the work of

Frank Duveneck Frank Duveneck (né Decker; October 9, 1848 – January 3, 1919) was an American figure and portrait painter. Early life Duveneck was born in Covington, Kentucky, the son of German immigrant Bernhard Decker. Decker died in a cholera epidemic whe ...

, Rookwood Pottery, Robert Scott Duncanson, Mitchell & Rammelsberg Furniture, and a tall case clock by

Luman Watson Luman Watson was an early Cincinnati clockmaker. He worked in Cincinnati, Ohio from 1819 to 1834. His clocks had wooden works. He made both tall clocks and shelf clock Luman Watson, son and grandson of prosperous farmers, was born at Harwinton, Conn ...

. The CAM is part of the Monuments Men and Women Museum Network, launched in 2021 by the

Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art The Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art is an American IRS approved 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, which honors the legacy of those who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program during and after World War ...

History

In the late nineteenth century, public art museums were still very much a new phenomenon, especially as far west as Cincinnati. Following the success of the 1876 Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia, the Women's Art Museum Association was organized in Cincinnati with the intent of bringing such an institution to the region for the benefit of all citizens. Enthusiasm for these goals grew steadily and by 1881 the Cincinnati Museum Association was incorporated. The art museum was at first temporarily housed in the south wing of Music Hall in

Over-the-Rhine Over-the-Rhine (often abbreviated as OTR) is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Historically, Over-the-Rhine has been a working-class neighborhood. It is among the largest, most intact urban historic districts in the United State ...

. Just five years later, or on May 17, 1886, the Art Museum building in Eden Park was dedicated with elaborate ceremonies. In November 1887, the McMicken School relocated to the newly built museum campus and was renamed the

Art Academy of Cincinnati The Art Academy of Cincinnati is a private college of art and design in Cincinnati, Ohio, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. It was founded as the McMicken School of Design in 1869, and was a department of the U ...

. The Cincinnati Art Museum enjoyed the support of the community from the beginning. Generous donations from a number of prominent Cincinnatians, including

Melville E. Ingalls Melville Ezra Ingalls (1842–1914), commonly abbreviated M. E. Ingalls, was a Massachusetts state legislator who went on to become president of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (the Big Four Railroad). Career Ingalls was ...

, grew the collection to number in the tens of thousands of objects, which soon necessitated the addition of the first of several Art Museum expansions. In 1907 the Schmidlapp Wing opened, which was followed by a series of building projects. The addition of the Emery (named after Cincinnati philanthropists Thomas J. Emery and his wife

Mary Emery Mary Emery (née Mary Hopkins; 1844–1927) was an American philanthropist. Biography Mary Emery was born to parents Richard Hopkins and Mary Barr Denny Muhlenberg in 1844. In 1862, Mary and her family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio from Brooklyn ...

), Hanna and French wings in the 1930s enclosed the courtyard and gave the Art Museum its current rectangular shape and provided the space in which the American, European and Asian collections are currently shown. Renovations during the late 1940s and early 1950s divided the Great Hall into two floors and the present main entrance to the Art Museum was established. The 1965 completion of the Adams-Emery wing increased our facility resources yet further, adding space for the permanent collection, lecture halls and temporary exhibition galleries. In 1993, a $13 million project restored the grandeur of the Art Museum's interior architecture and uncovered long-hidden architectural details. This project included the renovation of one of the Art Museum's signature spaces, the Great Hall. In addition, new gallery space was created and lighting and climate control were improved. The Art Museum's temporary exhibition space was expanded to approximately to accommodate major temporary exhibitions. In 1998, the museum's board decided to separate the museum from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. By the turn of the twenty-first century, the Art Museum's collection numbered over 60,000 objects and, today, is the largest in the state of Ohio. In 2003, the Cincinnati Art Museum deepened its ties with the Greater Cincinnati community by opening the popular and expansive Cincinnati Wing, the first permanent display of a city's art history in the nation. In addition, on May 17, 2003, the Art Museum eliminated its general admission fee forever, made possible by

The Lois and Richard Rosenthal Foundation Lois Rosenthal (May 18, 1939 – July 20, 2014) was an American author, publisher, arts & humanities philanthropist, and community volunteer. She was based in Cincinnati, Ohio. She served on the boards of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Pl ...

. In 2005, the Art Academy of Cincinnati officially left the museum's Eden Park campus, relocating to Over-the-Rhine. As of June 2020, Walnut Hills, home of the Cincinnati Art Museum and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, was undergoing major renovation, including a new outdoor civic and art space titled "Art Climb". Art Climb includes a staircase from the sidewalk near the intersection of Eden Park Drive and Gilbert Avenue leading to the art museum entrance. Consisting of multiple flights of steps, Art Climb opens up the museum grounds, connects the museum to its neighbors, and provides a space to incorporate outdoor artworks.

Collection

The art museum has paintings by several European masters, including: Master of San Baudelio, Jorge Ingles,

Sandro Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, ), was an Italian Renaissance painting, Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th cent ...

(''Judith with Head of Holofernes''),

Matteo di Giovanni Matteo di Giovanni (c. 1430 – 1495) was an Italian Renaissance artist from the Sienese School. Biography Matteo di Giovanni di Bartolo was born in Borgo Sansepolcro around 1430. His family relocated to Siena and he is firmly associated with ...

Domenico Tintoretto Domenico Robusti, also known as Domenico Tintoretto, (1560 – 17 May 1635) was an Italian painter from Venice. He grew up under the tutelage of his father, the renowned painter Jacopo Tintoretto. Life Apprenticeship Domenico was born in V ...

(''Portrait of Venetian dux Marino Grimani''),

Mattia Preti Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John. Life Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Ca ...

Bernardo Strozzi Bernardo Strozzi, named il Cappuccino and il Prete Genovese (c. 1581 – 2 August 1644) was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver. A canvas and fresco artist, his wide subject range included history, allegorical, genre and portrait paintin ...

, Frans Hals, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (''St. Thomas of Villanueva''),

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradi ...

(''

Samson and Delilah Samson and Delilah are Biblical figures. Samson and Delilah may also refer to: In music * ''Samson and Delilah'' (opera), an opera by Camille Saint-Saëns * ''Samson & Delilah'' (album), released in 2013 by V V Brown * "Samson and Delilah" (t ...

'') and

Aert van der Neer Aert van der Neer, or Aernout or Artus (c. 16039 November 1677), was a landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age, specializing in small night scenes lit only by moonlight and fires, and snowy winter landscapes, both often looking down a canal ...

. The collection also includes works by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro,

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. Durin ...

(''Rocks At Belle Isle''),

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...

, and

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

. The museum also has a large collection of paintings by American painter

(''Elizabeth B. Duveneck''). The museum's Decorative Arts and Design collection includes over 7,000 works, including works by

Paul de Lamerie Paul de Lamerie (9 April 1688 – 1 August 1751) was a London-based silversmith. The Victoria and Albert Museum describes him as the "greatest silversmith working in England in the 18th century". He was being referred to as the ‘King’s silv ...

Karen LaMonte Karen LaMonte (born December 14, 1967) is an American artist known for her life-size sculptures in ceramic, bronze, marble, and cast glass. Background LaMonte was born and grew up in Manhattan, New York. In 1990, after she graduated from the Rhod ...

Kitaro Shirayamadani Kataro Shirayamadani (''Shirayamadani Kitarō'' ; 1865–1948), also known as Kitaro Shirayamadani was a Japanese ceramics painter who worked for Rookwood Pottery in Cincinnati, Ohio from 1887 until 1948. Life Shirayamadani was born in Tokyo ...

Jean-Pierre Latz Jean-Pierre Latz (Paris, 4 August 1754 ) was one of the handful of truly outstanding cabinetmakers (''ébénistes'') working in Paris in the mid-18th century. Like several of his peers in the French capital, he was of German origin. His furniture is ...

, and many more.

Selections from the permanent collection

Hans Memling - Saint Christopher - Google Art Project.jpg,

Hans Memling Hans Memling (also spelled Memlinc; c. 1430 – 11 August 1494) was a painter active in Flanders, who worked in the tradition of Early Netherlandish painting. He was born in the Middle Rhine region and probably spent his childhood in Mainz. He ...

''Saint Christopher'' (1433-1494) Andrea Mantegna - A Sibyl and a Prophet - Google Art Project.jpg,

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, , ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g. by lowering the horizon in orde ...

'' A Sibyl and a Prophet'' (1495-1500) Lucas Cranach the Elder - Saint Helena with the Cross - Google Art Project.jpg,

Lucas Cranach the Elder Lucas Cranach the Elder (german: Lucas Cranach der Ältere ; – 16 October 1553) was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is kno ...

''Saint Helena with the Cross'' (1525) Peter Paul Rubens - Samson and Delilah - Google Art Project.jpg,

'' (1604-1614) Frans Hals - Portrait of a Dutch Family - Google Art Project.jpg, Frans Hals
'' Portrait of a Dutch Family'' (1633-1636) 'Self Portrait' by Martin Quadal, 1788, Cincinnati Art Museum.JPG,

Martin Ferdinand Quadal Martin Ferdinand Quadal (born cs, Chvátal; 28 October 1736 – 10 January 1811) was a Moravian-Austrian painter and engraver. Quadal is a representative of the Austrian school of painting, working all across Europe in England, Italy, Austria, Ho ...

''Self-portrait'' (1788) Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot - Ruins of the Château de Pierrefonds - Google Art Project.jpg, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
''Ruins of the Château de Pierrefonds'' (1825-1872) 'The Harp of Erin', oil on canvas painting by Thomas Buchanan Read.JPG, Thomas Buchanan Read,
''The Harp of Erin'' (1867) 'Girl Eating Porridge' by William Adolphe Bouguereau, Cincinnati Art Museum.JPG, William Adolphe Bouguereau
''Girl Eating Porridge'' (1874) 'Comparison' by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Cincinnati Art Museum.JPG,

Lawrence Alma-Tadema Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, (; born Lourens Alma Tadema ; 8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912) was a Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom becoming the last officially recognised denizen in 1873. Born in Dronryp, the Netherlands, ...

''Comparison'' (1892) 'The Mirror' by William Merritt Chase, Cincinnati Art Museum.JPG,

William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons School of Design. ...

''The Mirror'' (circa 1900) Amedeo Modigliani - Max Jacob (1876-1944) - Google Art Project.jpg, Amedeo Modigliani
''Portrait of

Max Jacob Max Jacob (; 12 July 1876 – 5 March 1944) was a French poet, painter, writer, and critic. Life and career After spending his childhood in Quimper, Brittany, he enrolled in the Paris Colonial School, which he left in 1897 for an artistic ca ...

'' (1911-1921) "Seated Dress Impression with Drapery" by Karen LaMonte.jpg,

, ''Seated Dress Impression with Drapery,'' 2005 Portrait of Frank Duveneck by Charles Grafly, Cincinnati Art Museum.jpg,

Charles Grafly Charles Allan Grafly, Jr. (December 3, 1862May 5, 1929) was an American sculptor, and teacher. Instructor of Sculpture at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for 37 years, his students included Paul Manship, Albin Polasek, and Walker Hanc ...

, ''Portrait of Frank Duveneck,'' 1915

Exhibitions

The Cincinnati Art Museum hosts several national and international special exhibitions each year. Each exhibition is accompanied by public programs, activities and special events. Exhibitions included ''Paintings, Politics and the Monuments Men: The Berlin Masterpieces in America'', ''Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal...'', and ''No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man''. The Cincinnati Art Museum's approach to hosting special exhibitions has changed over time. The museum found it impractical to spend as much as $2.5 million a year on special exhibitions when it has unexploited holdings like circus posters and Dutch contemporary design, especially given its declining endowment. As a result, in 2010 the museum mounted "See America", nine small shows that highlighted different parts of the country through the museum’s collection. Attendance at the museum has increased by 30 percent since it started emphasizing its permanent collection.

Management

Admission and hours of operation

General admission is always free to the Cincinnati Art Museum’s 73 permanent collection galleries and the Rosenthal Education Center (REC) family interactive center of the museum, thanks to the Richard and Lois Rosenthal Foundation, the Thomas J. Emery Endowment and an endowment established by the

Cincinnati Financial Corporation Cincinnati Financial Corporation offers property and casualty insurance, its main business, through The Cincinnati Insurance Company, The Cincinnati Indemnity Company and The Cincinnati Casualty Company. The company has 1.01% of the domestic prop ...

/The Cincinnati Insurance Companies. Education program fees may apply to adults and children. Special exhibition pricing varies. The Art Museum, located at 953 Eden Park Drive in

, is open Tuesdays through Sundays. Parking is free every day.

Funding

By 2011, the museum's endowment was down to about $70 million from about $80 million in 2008. The endowment soon recovered to pre-recession levels, valued at $87 million in 2014.

References

External links

*
Virtual tour of the Cincinnati Art Museum
provided by Google Arts & Culture * {{Authority control Art museums and galleries in Ohio Museums in Cincinnati Arts in Cincinnati Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums 1881 establishments in Ohio Art museums established in 1881 Asian art museums in the United States Mount Adams, Cincinnati Cincinnati Art Museum