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Face surrounded by flowers with two people in white veils looking at each otherLayered photos of different people in the same placeMan in a hooded brown robe looking down at his hands while holding a skullMatching blue sofa and ottoman with light wood legs

Collection

The Milwaukee Art Museum’s collection is broad and diverse, with works from antiquity to the present. Its history dates to 1888 and reflects the city in which the Museum was built, and the individuals who helped build it. The collection’s more than 32,000 works include paintings, drawings, sculpture, decorative arts, photography, prints, video art, installation art, and textiles.

The Museum’s collection has developed over the years through select purchases, the gifts of local collectors, and the support of the community and generous donors. The Museum’s various areas of collecting boast many strengths, including the particularly noteworthy ones listed here. Continue Reading »

  • American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts, with concentrations of work by the Ashcan School and The Eight and Georgia O’Keeffe
  • Contemporary painting, sculpture, and installation art, especially Minimalism and Neo-Expressionism
  • 20th- and 21st-century design
  • European Baroque painting, sculpture, and decorative arts, as well as 19th-century academic painting
  • Folk and self-taught art, both European and American
  • German art, ranging from Renaissance master clocks and Expressionist artworks to contemporary paintings
  • 20th-century Haitian art
  • Modern painting and sculpture
  • Photography and new media, with particular strengths in documentary, mid-century American, and contemporary works
  • Works on paper, highlighted by a notable collection of French prints from 1600 to 1900

Object information is subject to revision and enhancement based on ongoing research and review. If you notice an error or have additional information about any object in the collection, please contact collections@mam.org.

New Acquisition Highlights

Janine Antoni (American, b. Bahamas, 1964) I open the gates, from the series I am fertile ground, 2019

Paul T. Frankl (American, b. Austria, 1886–1958) Custom Coffee Table for Ira Gershwin, 1934

Tanekeya Word (American, b. 1983) notes from our mothers' gardens: still some do's and don'ts, 2021

Henri Hayden (Polish, 1883–1970, active in France) Still Life with Ace of Spades, 1918

Truman Lowe (Ho-Chunk/American, 1944–2019) Water Spirit 1, 1991

Truman Lowe (Ho-Chunk/American, 1944–2019) Feather Canoe, ca. 1993

Betty Woodman (American, 1930–2018) Pillow Pitcher: Minoan, 1983–1984

Christina Fernandez (American, b. 1975) Untitled Multiple Exposure #7 (Bravo), 1999, printed 2010

Christina Fernandez (American, b. 1975) Untitled Multiple Exposure #5 (Figueroa), 1999, printed 2010

Christina Fernandez (American, b. 1975) Untitled Multiple Exposure #6 (Lopez), 1999, printed 2010

View highlights »

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Collection Areas

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Research

Explore the Museum’s robust historical records, and uncover new discoveries.

Archive Highlights

Research Center

Herzfeld Study Center

Provenance Research

From the Blog

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Image:
  • Minnie Evans (American, 1892–1987), Untitled (detail), 1960/63/66. Pencil, crayon, ink, and paint on board. Gift of Anthony Petullo, M2012.44. Photo by Larry Sanders
  • Harry Callahan (American, 1912–1999), Chicago (detail), ca. 1948, printed 1950s. Gelatin silver print. Purchase, with funds from the Ralph and Cora Oberndorfer Family Trust, M2008.81. Copy photo by John R. Glembin. © The Estate of Harry Callahan, courtesy Pace Gallery
  • Francisco de Zurbarán (Spanish, 1598–1664), Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb (detail), 1630/34. Oil on canvas. Purchase, M1958.70. Photo by John R. Glembin
  • Isamu Noguchi (American, 1904–1988), produced by Herman Miller Inc. (Zeeland, Michigan, founded 1923), Sofa and Ottoman, ca. 1950. Wood, maple laminate, and replaced cotton upholstery. Gift of Gilbert and J. Dorothy Palay, M1990.60.1,.2. Color transparency by Efraim Lev-er. © The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York