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Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas

Dallas/Ft. Worth: Art Museums

The city of Dallas is the hub of the art scene in North Texas. Here you’ll find everything, from classical art to emerging local artists displaying their art in offbeat galleries. If it’s quirky, modern, local, international or historical, Dallas has a place for it.

The 68 acre, 19 block arts district in downtown is the largest urban arts district in the United States. Museums that you’ll find within walking distance of one another inside of the arts district include the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center and the Crow Collection of Asian Art. Stopping for a bite to eat at one of the gourmet food trucks while you admire the AT&T Performing Arts Center, The Meyerson Symphony Center and the historical and award-winning architecture makes for a fun and fascinating walk.

Head three blocks east of downtown to the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas and you find a creative and unique vibe buzzing with local artists. The 1960’s and 70’s saw an influx of artists drawn to the lofts in the industrial warehouse area and it remains an artistic pocket of the city to this day. The history laden buildings display incredible murals and house multiple small galleries tailored for local and emerging artists. Each year, Deep Ellum hosts a three day arts festival featuring hundreds of artists and their original works.

The Bishop arts district in Oak cliff, south of downtown Dallas, also offers an eclectic art scene with multiple galleries. Small, locally owned businesses are the norm and that includes artists. This little indie section of Dallas is a big part of the Dallas art scene. The yearly Oak Cliff Art Crawl features local artists and musicians, a bazaar, open mike poetry and lots of tasty food.

In all, the city of Dallas has amazing and diverse galleries that appeal to art lovers from all walks of life. Whether you’re looking to connect with history through art or you’re looking for small galleries and festivals where the unknown artists can shine, Dallas is the place. (Kate Koop, Dallas Visual Art blogger)

Dallas Art Museums: Art Museums Around Dallas

Below are our Dallas Art Museum recommendations, with information on location, admission, transportation/parking, museum history and other points of interest in Dallas Art.
 

Amon Carter Museum (The Carter)

The Amon features an excellent Western-American art collection, with works by Frederic Remington, Charles Marion Russell, Thomas Eakins, and Grant Wood, among others. Both the original museum and the recent expansion were designed by Philip Johnson. ...more...

Crow Collection of Asian Art

The Crow is one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the country. Its collection of more than 4,000 works spans from 3500 BC to the early 20th century. It was founded by Trammel and Margaret Crow, who have been collecting Asian art since the mid-1960s. They opened the collection to the public in its current location in 1998. Along with showing their pieces in the museum, they also loan them to be displayed in office buildings and hotels. Those include Chinese jades, Buddhist sculptures, and Japanese screen paintings. ...more...

Dallas Museum of Art (The DMA)

The most notable attribute of the Dallas Museum of Art is its extensive top-notch permanent collection. With heavy-hitters such as Picasso, van Gogh, Monet, O’Keeffe, Pollock, Gauguin, Mondrian, Picasso, and Cézanne, the DMA is a sure thing. A lesser-known but exciting feature is that on the third Friday of every month, the museum is open until midnight and the price for staying late is included in the general admission for that day; so if you fall for its impressive holdings, you can really get your money’s worth. ...more...

Kimbell Art Museum (The Kimbell)

If the Kimbell can be summed up in three words, those words are “quality over quantity.” With a collection of fewer than 350 pieces, you might assume that this museum is one that can be missed; however, this is most certainly not the case. Perhaps its small bark and large bite are the most charming aspects of the Kimbell. ...more...

McKinney Avenue Contemporary (The MAC)

The McKinney opened in 1994, and has gained prominence since then. It has hosted 54 exhibitions since it opened, and collects contemporary art from around the globe. Kara Walker and Matthew Barney are only two respected artists who have recently exhibited at the McKinney. Plus, all of its exhibitions and programs are free to the public.

The 18,000-square-foot building includes space for galleries, theaters and a bookstore. It has shown exhibitions …more…

Meadows Museum

This museum at Southern Methodist University features one of the most comprehensive collections of Spanish art outside Spain, with works by El Greco, Velazquez, Ribera, Murillo, Goya, Miro and Picasso. Its collection also consists of works of all nations, and spans from the 10th to the 21st centuries. Highlights of the permanent collection include Renaissance altarpieces, Rococo oil sketches and Baroque canvases. It also maintains a collection of 20th century …more…

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (The Modern)

One of the largest modern-art Museums in the country, the Modern displays more than 3,000 works, including pieces by Anselm Kiefer, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Gerhard Richter, Susan Rothenberg, Richard Serra, Andres Serrano, and Andy Warhol. In 2002, the museum moved into a new building (next door to the Kimbell) designed by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando. ...more...

Nasher Sculpture Center

One of the few institutions in the world devoted primarily to contemporary sculpture, the Nasher Sculpture Center (NSC) opened in 2003 as the new home of the formidable Raymond and Patsy NasherCollection.  The Center’s permanent holdings include over three hundred works of sculpture, as well as a number of twentieth century paintings and drawings, which are featured in rotating exhibitions throughout NSC’s 55,000 square foot facility and adjoining sculpture garden. …more…

Sid Richardson Museum

One of the finest collections of Western art in the country, the Richardson is a permanent, full-scale exhibition of the paintings of Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell. It’s one of the city’s top attractions, and draws more than 50,000 visitors each year.

The museum opened in 1982 in a reconstruction of a building from 1895. Oil magnate, philanthropist and museum founder Sid Williams Richardson collected the original paintings between 1942 …more…

The Goss-Michael Foundation

This collection of contemporary British art includes approximately 500 works by more than 75 of the most prominent British arts working today. Founders George Michael, the musician, and Kenny Goss personally source and select all the works. The foundation charges no admission fee, and seeks to bring an international flavor to Dallas’s gallery scene. It also partners with other institutions and artists, including Tracey Emin, Marc Quinn, and Jeremy Deller. ...more...