Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Founded in 1916, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is the oldest and largest fine arts museum in the state of Tennessee, housing one of the most outstanding collections of fine art dating from antiquity to the present. Strengths of the collection include Italian Renaissance and Baroque paintings and sculpture, principally gifts of the Kress Foundation; English portraits; European and American paintings, sculpture and decorative arts; and a significant collection of works on paper, including drawings, watercolors, prints and photographs. The Museum also hosts world-class traveling exhibitions and several long-term, continuing loans. Opened May 26, 1916, with funds donated by Bessie Vance Brooks in memory of her husband, Samuel Hamilton Brooks, the original Beaux Arts-style building is a registered U.S. National Landmark. Since its opening, the Museum has expanded three times, culminating in 1989 with the dedication of a beautiful award-winning addition. This expansion includes the rotunda, an auditorium, art classrooms, an orientation theater, a Museum Store, and the highly acclaimed Brushmark Restaurant. Skidmore Owings and Merrill designed the ‘89 addition. Lee Askew of Askew Nixon Ferguson is the local "architect of record." The Brooks, cognizant of the diverse backgrounds and interests of the community, is dedicated to providing all citizens of Memphis and visitors to the Mid-South the opportunity to learn about the visual arts from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Programs and activities for both adults and students fill the calendar year around, providing enjoyable learning experiences for visitors relating to the permanent collection and changing exhibitions.