by Cris Glaser, Cleveland Visual Arts blogger
Ever since the Cleveland Museum of Art threw open its doors for the first time in June of 1916, the venerable institution has treated discriminating culture connoisseurs to 43,000 of the world’s foremost art contributions by the masters. Over the years, the museum has hosted exhibits of significant works by Matisse, Renoir, van Gogh, and Picasso. It’s also acquired dozens of works by Botticelli, Dali, and El Greco. Critics have called the museum’s collection of Chinese, African, and Modern European art a “compilation for the ages.”
But Cleveland’s exposure to the finest art pieces in the world isn’t limited to the CMA. There’s the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, a 20,000-square-foot showplace of inspiring exhibits by Christo, Oldenburg, and Hodges. The gallery doesn’t forget homegrown talent, either. During the course of a three-exhibit season every year, it spotlights the works of a growing colony of emerging Northeast Ohio artists. And every year, it hosts the Wendy L. Moore series of female artists younger than 30 years old.
Small yet ultra-cool galleries also dot Northeast Ohio’s landscape. There’s the downtown headquarters of Bonfoey, with its eclectic assortment of paintings, sculptures, and glassware. There’s also the Artefino Café in the Tower Press Building, spotlighting a Cleveland-centric parade of frescos, murals, and jewelry. An in-house baker also makes some of the city’s most scrumptious pastries, giving the gallery a reputation as a go-to stop for morning breakfast!
