sculpture of an
ibis from
Ancient Egypt's
Twenty-sixth Dynasty, 664–332 BC 's ''Portrait of
Helen Vincent, Viscountess D'Abernon'' from 1904 AD ) from 350 BC 's
Profile of a Young Woman, from 1455 to 1460 AD ) from the
Sican culture of
Peru, dating between 900 and 1100 AD
African art The museum's collection of nearly 2,000 objects of African art is derived from the major culture groups of
sub-Saharan Africa and dates from the 12th century to the present. The collection features figure sculpture, masks, ritual objects, furniture and household and utilitarian objects, textiles, ceramics and metal arts, with an Egyptian
false door,
Yoruba mask,
Benin bronze hip pendant, and a divination portrait of a king from
Dahomey.
American art Spanning the late 18th through mid-20th century, the museum's collection of American painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts features paintings by
Gilbert Stuart,
Childe Hassam, and
Georgia O'Keeffe; sculptures by
Hiram Powers and
Frederic Remington; and decorative pieces by
Tiffany Studios and
Frank Lloyd Wright. The museum's
Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California (1865) by
Bierstadt was chosen by the
National Endowment for the Humanities as one of 40 American masterpieces that best depict the people, places, and events that have shaped America and tell its story.
Art of Alabama Since opening in 1951, the Birmingham Museum of Art has collected and exhibited the art of Alabama. Among the earliest works to enter the collection were paintings by significant Alabama artists including the miniaturist Hannah Elliott and the landscapist Carrie Hill. In 1995, the museum organized Made in Alabama, an exhibition of art made within the state during the 19th century. In addition to collecting the works of academically trained native artists, the museum has built a collection of folk art, including painting, sculpture, quilts, and pottery.
Asian art The museum's Asian art collection started with a gift of Chinese textiles in 1951, and now has over 4,000 objects. The collection hails from
China,
Korea,
Japan,
India, and
Southeast Asia, featuring a collection of
Vietnamese ceramics,
Buddhist and
Hindu art, lacquer ware, ceramics, paintings, prints, and sculpture. Highlights include a rare
Ming dynasty temple wall and
Tang dynasty tomb figures from China;
Jomon period pottery from Japan; and contemporary works such as
The Grand Residence, considered by Chinese painter
Wu Guanzhong among his most important works. Also, on long-term loan from The
Smithsonian Institution is the Vetlesen Jade Collection of 16th to 19th-century pieces, one of the most important jade collections in the US.
Contemporary art The collection features painting, sculpture, video, photography, works on paper, and installation art from the 1960s to the present, ranging from artists such as
Joan Mitchell,
Andy Warhol,
Bill Viola,
Lynda Benglis,
Cham Hendon,
Kerry James Marshall,
Callum Innes,
Grace Hartigan,
Larry Rivers,
Louise Nevelson,
Frank Fleming and
Philip Guston. The Modern and Contemporary Art collection also contains work by photographers
William Christenberry,
Robert Frank,
Duane Michals,
Gordon Parks, and
Philip Trager, as well as images from the civil rights era by
Danny Lyon,
Spider Martin, Chris McNair,
Charles Moore, and
Wayne Sides.
Folk art Since 2009, a permanent display of
folk art has featured works by
Bill Traylor,
Thornton Dial, Alabama's quilters, and other self-taught artists. The Robert Cargo Folk Art Collection was donated to the museum in 2013.
European art Among the
European art holdings is the Kress Collection of Renaissance Art, featuring
Renaissance and
Baroque paintings, sculpture and decorative arts dating from the late 13th century to , with works by
Pietro Perugino,
Antonio Canaletto, and
Paris Bordone. Other strengths include 17th-century Dutch paintings by
Jacob van Ruisdael,
Ferdinand Bol, and
Balthasar van der Ast; British 18th-century painting, with portraits by
Thomas Gainsborough and
Thomas Lawrence; and 18th- and 19th-century French paintings by
Francois-Hubert Drouais,
Jean-Baptiste Oudry,
Mary Cassatt,
Gustave Courbet, and
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. One of the foundations of the museum's permanent collection, the European decorative arts comprise more than 12,000 objects including ceramics, glass, and furniture dating from the
Renaissance to present day. Notable holdings include the only public collection of late 19th-century European
cast iron items in the US and the Eugenia Woodward Hitt Collection of 18th-century French art, including furniture of the
Louis XIV,
XV, and
XVI periods, mounted porcelain, gilt bronzes, paintings, and works on paper from the
Regénce to the period following the
French Revolution. The Dwight and Lucille Beeson Wedgwood Collection comprises more than 1,400 objects illustrating the entire production of the
Wedgwood factory from its early years through the 19th century.
Native American art The museum features a large installation of
Native American arts. The galleries are organized into four cultural groupings according to region:
Eastern Woodlands,
Plains,
Northwest Coast, and
Southwest. Highlights of the collection include a large grouping of fine
Navajo blankets and rugs, an extensive collection of Northwest coast art, and important historic and contemporary
Pueblo ceramics. There also are examples of
Plains beadwork and shaman headdresses.
Pre-Columbian art The collection features objects from
Meso-America,
Central America, and the
Northern Andes. Highlights from Meso-America include
Zapotec ceramics, objects related to the ballgame,
Maya figure sculpture, ceramics and jewelry,
Aztec stone sculpture, and West Mexican figural tomb sculpture. Cultures of ancient
Costa Rica,
Guatemala, and
Panama are well represented: works include gold jewelry, metates, censors, volcanic stone figure sculpture, and ceramics. Northern
Andean objects include
Sican ceremonial gold vessels and tumi, ceramics from the
Moche,
Chimu,
Chancay, and
Vicus cultures,
Incan keros and mummy masks, and
Peruvian textiles.
The Charles W. Ireland Sculpture Garden This multi-level sculpture garden features works by artists such as
Fernando Botero,
Jacques Lipchitz and
Auguste Rodin as well as three site-specific artworks commissioned by the Museum:
Lithos II (1993) by
Elyn Zimmerman, a water wall and pool of textured granite blocks set into the curving east wall of the garden;
Blue Pools Courtyard (1993) by artist
Valerie Jaudon, featuring inlaid tile pools, plantings, and brick and bluestone pavers; and
Sol LeWitt's
Bands of Color in Various Directions, commissioned in 2001 in celebration of the museum's 50th anniversary.
The Clarence B. Hanson Jr. Library Named for Clarence Bloodworth Hanson Jr., former publisher of the
Birmingham News and a Birmingham Museum of Art board member for 24 years, the museum's library includes holdings such as general art reference works, auction catalogues, artists' files, periodicals, indexes, exhibition catalogs, and databases. The Chellis Wedgwood Library includes letters from
John Flaxman and
Benjamin West, and
Sir William Hamilton's collection of engravings from antique vases, known as the
Hamilton Folios, the first European color-plate books. ==History==