Speed Art Museum
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Established | 1927 |
---|---|
Location | 2035 South 3rd Street Louisville, Kentucky 40208 |
Coordinates | 38°13′4.3″N 85°45′39.3″W / 38.217861°N 85.760917°W |
Type | Art |
Website | www |
The Speed Art Museum, originally known as the J.B. Speed Memorial Museum, now colloquially referred to as the Speed[1] by locals, is the oldest and largest art museum in Kentucky. It was established in 1927 in Louisville, Kentucky, on Third Street next to the University of Louisville Belknap campus. It receives around 180,000 visits annually.[2]
The museum offers visitors a variety of "art experiences" outside its collection and international exhibitions, including the Speed Concert Series, the Art Sparks Interactive Family Gallery, and the late-night event, After Hours at the Speed.[3]
The Speed houses
History
The museum was built in 1927 by
The museum underwent a $60 million expansion and renovation project from September 2012 to March 2016, designed by architect
The 62,500-square-foot North Building doubled the overall square footage and nearly tripled the gallery space from the previous wing. The expansion created a space for larger special exhibitions, new contemporary art galleries, a family education welcome center, a 150-seat cinema, indoor/outdoor café, museum shop, and a multi-functional pavilion for performances, lectures and entertainment. Additionally, the new Elizabeth P. and Frederick K. Cressman Art Park and Public Piazza was created for the display of sculptures.[6]
Timeline[7]
1927 – The Speed Art Museum is built and receives more than 74,000 visitors in the first year.
1928 – The centenary of Kentucky portrait painter Matthew Harris Jouett is celebrated with an exhibition of his portraits, many owned by prominent Louisvillians.[8]
1933 – The museum is incorporated as a privately endowed institution and its
1934 – The museum received its first major
1941 – Dr. Preston Pope Satterwhite donates his collection of 15th century and 16th century French and Italian
1944 – Satterwhite donates the English Renaissance room, which was moved in its entirety from Devon, England. Dr. Satterwhite's gift necessitated an enlargement of the museum and in his will he provided for the addition that bears his name. Completed in 1954, it was the first of three additions to the original building.
1946 – Paul S. Harris becomes the first professional director of the museum. During his tenure, acquisitions to the collection were made mostly in the areas of decorative arts and furniture.
1964 – Recently donated paintings and furniture from the collection of Mrs. W. Blakemore Wheeler go on view including works by
1966 – Charter Collectors Group forms to assist the museum in the acquisition of pre-1940 art.
1970 – New Art Collectors Group forms to assist the museum to acquire contemporary art.
1973 – The North Wing of the museum opens, giving new space for a theatre, offices, indoor sculpture court, and library.
1977 – The Speed celebrates its 50th anniversary in 1977 with the acquisition of Rembrandt's Portrait of a Woman, one of the museum's most significant acquisitions.
1983 – The 1983 Wing opens, designed by Robert Geddes[9] of Princeton. The new wing adds gallery space for permanent collections and special exhibitions.
1996 – Alice Speed Stoll dies, bequeathing over $50 million to the museum. The Speed closes to undertake an extensive renovation. Newer lighting, heating and cooling systems, multi-layered labels about the collection, the Laramie L. Learning Center, and Art Sparks Interactive Family Gallery are put into place.
1997 – The museum reopens.
2012 – The museum begins another major transition with a $60 million expansion project that will create a space for larger special exhibitions, new contemporary art galleries, a family education welcome center, 150-seat cinema, indoor/outdoor café, museum shop, and a multi-functional pavilion for performances, lectures and entertaining. The museum is closed to the public for three years during the construction period.
2013 – The Speed staff relocates offsite to the downtown Louisville neighborhood of Phoenix Hill and opens Local Speed, a satellite space for exhibitions, family activities, programs and special events.
2016 – The museum reopens on March 12.
Collection
The Speed houses a collection of
Highlights of the collection include works by:
- European painting and sculpture
- Giambattista Pittoni
- Rembrandt
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Claude Monet
- James Tissot
- Jacob Isaakszoon van Ruisdael
- Gustave Courbet
- Auguste Rodin
- Thomas Gainsborough
- Gaspar de Crayer
- Modernism
- American painting and sculpture
- Contemporary art
Directors
See also
- List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area
- List of museums in the Louisville metropolitan area
References
- ^ Richards Hill, Toya (August 5, 2002). "Speed show expected to bolster local economy". Louisville Business First. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ^ "The Speed Art Museum". Charity Navigator. 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
- ^ Speed Art Museum (November 2018). "After Hours at the Speed Art Museum". speedmuseum.org. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- ^ Leary, James. "Ghosts, Raspberries, and the Legacy of Hattie Speed" The Speed Member Magazine Fall 2009 p. 3
- ^ Loos, Ted (March 15, 2016). "Speed Museum Turns to a Spreadsheet to Increase Diversity". The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ^ "History". speedmuseum.org. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ^ History of the Speed Art Museum. Louisville, KY: The Speed Art Museum, 2002.
- The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. February 26, 1928. p. 28.
- ^ "Robert Geddes". princeton.edu. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ^ a b "The Speed Art Museum Welcomes New Executive Director Raphaela Platow". VOICE Louisville. June 17, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.