Minneapolis Institute of Art

Why go

Go for the contrast between the historic museum building and its varied collections, especially the Asian art holdings. The museum’s origins in a nineteenth-century civic arts society also make it a window onto how Minneapolis built public cultural institutions for residents and visitors.

What to look for

• The 1915 Beaux-Arts building was designed by McKim, Mead & White.
• Asian collections include Chinese ceramics and Japanese prints.
• Later wings show a different architectural era from the original building.

The full story

The Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts began organizing exhibitions in 1883, when the fast-growing city had few public spaces dedicated to art. The present museum opened in 1915 on land associated with the Washburn–Fair Oaks mansion district. Its McKim, Mead & White building expresses the Beaux-Arts taste of that civic era. Later expansions by Kenzo Tange and Michael Graves made the building itself a small survey of changing museum architecture. The collections extend from ancient art to modern work and include painting, sculpture, textiles, decorative art and substantial Asian holdings. The museum also has a Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program, connecting its global collection with work made closer to home. Notice how a visit moves between these scales: a city’s early ambition to create a public art institution, rooms of objects from many cultures, and later spaces built for changing exhibitions. The breadth makes a selective visit more rewarding than trying to cover every gallery.

Useful to know

• Pick one collection area first; the museum spans many regions and periods.
• Check the current exhibition list if a particular gallery or special show matters.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.