1 Brookings Drive
Saint Louis, MO
314-935-4523
The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis is one of the oldest teaching museums in the country and the oldest art museum west of the Mississippi River. Established in 1881 as the St. Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts, a department of Washington University, the Museum was initially located in a neo-Renaissance building in downtown St. Louis under the direction of artist Halsey C. Ives. Its collection was formed in the large part by acquiring significant works by artists of the time.
In 1906, the collection was moved to the Palace of Fine Arts in Forest Park, a building designed by architect Cass Gilbert for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. In 1909, the public St. Louis Art Museum was formed and detached from the private Washington University. The University collection, however, remained on loan there for the next several decades. In 1941 German exile H.W. Janson joined the faculty of Washington University's Department of Art History and Archaeology and initiated an expansive program to revitalize the University's Museum. Over 600 objects were deaccessioned and the proceeds were used to acquire approximately 40 works of modern art, including examples of Cubism, Expressionism, and Surrealism in order to build the "finest collection of contemporary art assembled on any American campus."
Now one of the finest university collections in the United States, the Museum contains strong holdings of 19th, 20th, and 21st century European and American paintings, sculptures, prints, installations, and photographs. In 2004, the Museum was renamed the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum and linked to Washington University's newly formed Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. The museum opened in its new building, designed by Pritker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki in 2006 and the building underwent a major expansion which was completed in 2019.
The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum building features spacious galleries that accommodate large-scale and new media exhibitions, an intimate setting to view works from the Museum's permanent collection, and a walkway featuring an outdoor sculpture garden. In addition to a thematic installation of works from the Museum's outstanding permanent collection, the Kemper Art Museum features both temporary and major loan exhibitions throughout the year, presenting examples of significant international modern and contemporary art and design.
CURRENT EXHIBITS
Kahlil Robert Irving: Archaeology of the Present
Through July 29, 2024
The St. Louis–based artist Kahlil Robert Irving creates assemblages made of layered images and sculptures composed of replicas of everyday objects. Mainly working in ceramics, Irving critically engages with the history of the medium and challenges constructs around identity and culture in the Western world.
Free
Santiago Sierra: 52 Canvases Exposed to Mexico City’s Air
Through July 29, 2024
Madrid-based artist Santiago Sierra is known for his provocative performance and installation art that deals with the topic of social inequities and has created works visualizing of the toxicity of contemporary urban life. Sierra created the 52 compositions—one for each week in a year—by placing adhesive-lacquered canvases on the floor in a building in Mexico City with the windows open, allowing the air to settle on them.
Free
The Body in Pieces
Through July 29, 2024
By the early 20th century, Europe and the United States had experienced rapid modernization and industrialization. Artwork from this time reflect the sensorial overload of urban life, the sweep of high-speed travel, the repetitive motions of factory machinery, and the dismemberment caused by mechanized warfare. Artwork in this exhibition comes primarily from the Kemper's permanent collection.
Free
Visiting the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
Visiting Hours
Monday, Wednesday - Sunday: 11 am - 5 pm
Closed Tuesdays and major holidays
Visiting the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum is Free
Parking
Visitor parking is available in Washington University's East End Garage at Forsyth and Wrighton Way for an hourly fee on weekdays.
If the East End Garage is full, you may park in the Danforth University Center (DUC) Garage, further west on Forsyth.
Free parking is available on campus on weekday evenings, beginning at 5 pm, and during weekends.
The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum is located near both a MetroLink station and along MetroBus routes
Visit the greatriverroad.com art trail section for more art related attractions and events in the Middle Mississippi River Valley.
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum - Official site of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum with answers to all the questions you may have.
