There's a little something for everyone in Baltimore's art museums. A giant whirligig adorns one museum, while a bronze of Rodin's Thinker rests pensively under the marble arches of another. Find the one that fits your own personal artistic vision:
Set amid Mount Vernon's sumptuous architecture, the works of art in this museum can hold their own against the luxurious backdrop. In fact, in the newly refurbished Palazzo building, the art is integrated into the setting, often recreating the piece’s original surroundings. With art that spans the history of civilization, cultures from the Ancient Egyptians to the Renaissance are represented here.
With more than 90,000 pieces on display at this Charles Village museum, it'll take more than one visit. So plan to come back again...and again. Amble through the sculpture garden or check out the Cone Collection, which includes works by Picasso, Matisse and Renoir.
Baltimore's deep appreciation for the wacky makes it the perfect home for this collection that celebrates self-taught or "outsider" art. While traditional media like paintings and sculpture are represented in this museum near the Inner Harbor, many pieces are impossible to pigeonhole.
Artists-in-residence from all over the world come to this Mount Vernon haven to work in collaboration with local artists or institutions. The creations usually have a political or social bent to them. For example,
Louise Bourgeois: Femme displayed a series of nine copperplate etchings of trees transforming into bodies, which drew parallels between missing limbs and crutches, and the dismemberment and improvement of the body.
Designed to promote and support contemporary artists, this non-profit gallery always has something new. Celebating its 25th anniversary in 2006, MAP remains free and open to the public and is now conveniently located in the Power Plant Live! complex near the Inner Harbor.
