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BYU Museum of Art
The Brigham Young University
Museum of Art in Provo, Utah is definitely one of the most attended
art museums in the nation, opening in 1993 after fifty years of
planning, and housed in more than 10,000 square feet of space. Their
first major exhibition would be about the Etruscans, the early
Italian empire that existed before the Roman Empire overtook it
around the 1st century BC. The museum had a wonderful collection
even before the completion of its new home, housing some 17,000
artworks, but because they never had a permanent or even temporary
space, they would lose over 900 pieces of art due to poor storage
conditions. A 2004 survey concluded that the museum had ranked first
among attendance at the university campuses nationwide, welcoming
334,774 visitors, which is quite a bit for a university or college
art museum. The museum exhibits sculptures, video, photography,
paintings, prints, installations and drawings, with the permanent
collection housing works from numerous famous artists, that include;
Norman Rockwell, Minerva Teichert, Carl Bloch, Rembrandt and Maynard
Dixon. Their excellent permanent collection has been complemented by
other partnerships, that include traveling exhibits and special
displays that also included one which coincided with the 2002
Olympics that happened in Salt Lake City. It's marvelous collection
contains over 170 works that pertain to Jesus Christ; which
highlights the portrayal of Him that had changed. And while we're on
the subject of our Lord, there is a special exhibition being held in
the fall of 2011 that will showcase Carl Heinrich Bloch, the
Lutheran Danish artist that painted Christ in various images that he
created during the 19th century. The exhibit is called Carl Bloch:
The Master's Hand, and it is free, if you live in the area or are
heading there during that period. Their collection places special
emphasis on American art from the 18th century to the present day,
and includes paintings, prints, photography and sculpture, with big
holdings from the Hudson River School's landscape paintings, as well
as American impressionism. It contains big holdings of works by the
previous mentioned artists as well as Mahonri Young and J. Alden
Weir. Some of the highlights of this excellent collection
include Rembrandt etchings, Asian collection, Steed Memorial
collection, drawings in the MOA collection, recent acquisitions, A.
Merlin and Alice W. Steed collection, sacred subjects, Minerva
Teichert: Pageants in Print, photo: western landscapes, MOA print
study room, British paintings, Dr. J. Herbert Millburn collection,
American Dreams: Envisioning America, American Dreams: Dream of Eden
and American Dream: American Inspirations. It is a wonderful
collection that is much better enjoyed in person than on the
internet or in books, so be sure to stop by when you visit the area,
and take some time to smell the roses.
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