The Museum of Wisconsin Art (formerly the West Bend Art Museum) is a museum that collects and exhibits contemporary and historical art from the state of Wisconsin. Its collections include rotating historical and contemporary exhibitions and educational programs. The museum's One Gallery features solo shows of contemporary Wisconsin artists and arts organizations several times each year.

History

Founded by the Pick family of

West Bend, Wisconsin West Bend is the county seat of Washington County, Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,752. History Early history and settlement Northeastern Washington County's earliest known inhabitants were pre-Columbian Mound Builder ...

in 1961 to collect the works of Milwaukee-born artist

Carl von Marr Carl von Marr (February 14, 1858 – July 10, 1936) was an American-born German painter whose work encompassed religious and mythological subjects, genre, and portraits. He was also a professor of art in Munich. Biography He was born in Mi ...

(1858-1936), the museum currently holds the most comprehensive collection of his work anywhere. In 1988, it broadened its focus to become a regional museum, rolling out a collection of Wisconsin artists spanning the years from 1820 to 1950. In 1998, its Early Wisconsin Art Collection was unveiled on the state’s sesquicentennial, reflecting its new mission to collect, conserve, document, and exhibit Wisconsin art through the ages. In January 2007, along with the name change, it began including both contemporary Wisconsin art, and work prior to 1820. The museum opened a new building on the banks of the

Milwaukee River The Milwaukee River is a river in the state of Wisconsin. It is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 19, 2011 Once a locus of industry, the river is now the c ...

in West Bend in April, 2012.Mary Louise Schumacher
Winters named director of West Bend's Museum of Wisconsin Art
, ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', November 13, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2014.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wisconsin Art, Museum of Museums in Washington County, Wisconsin Art museums and galleries in Wisconsin Museums of American art Art museums established in 1961

Museum of Wisconsin Art The Museum of Wisconsin Art (formerly the West Bend Art Museum) is a museum that collects and exhibits contemporary and historical art from the state of Wisconsin. Its collections include rotating historical and contemporary exhibitions and educati ...