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Cutouts of various people from magazines and newspapers and layered in front of an urban backdropGirl sitting next to a lamb in a poofy dress reaching up and grabbing a branchMan in a hooded brown robe looking down at his hands while holding a skullCloseup of a dark-skinned woman in a blue headdress with peopel climbing up a hill in the background

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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American

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Ancient Mediterranean Art

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20th- and 21st-Century Design

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European

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Folk and Self-Taught

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Haitian

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Modern

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Prints and Drawings

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Animals

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Narrative

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Research

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

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Archive Highlights

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Research Center

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Herzfeld Study Center

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Provenance Research

From the Blog

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Image:
  • Romare Bearden (American, 1911–1988), The Street (detail), 1964. Paper collage on cardboard. Gift of Friends of Art and African American Art Acquisition Fund, M1996.52. Photo by John R. Glembin. © Romare Bearden/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Jean-Honoré Fragonard (French, 1732–1806), The Shepherdess (detail), ca. 1750/52. Oil on canvas. Bequest of Leon Kaumheimer, M1974.64. Photo by John R. Glembin
  • 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
  • Louïs Mailou Jones (American, 1905–1998), The Ascent of Ethiopia (detail), 1932. Oil on canvas. Purchase, African American Art Acquisition Fund, matching funds from Suzanne and Richard Pieper, with additional support from Arthur and Dorothy Nelle Sanders, M1993.191. Photo by John R. Glembin. © Lois Mailou Jones