Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Introduction
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Established in 1883 as the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts, this is the premiere fine art museum in Minnesota. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts maintains an extensive collection of over 80,000 objects from nearly every continent. The collection includes pieces as old as 40,000 years to modern works by Monet and other famous artists. The MIA has seven curatorial areas: Arts of Africa & the Americas; Contemporary Art; Decorative Arts, Textiles & Sculpture; Asian Art; Paintings; Photography and New Media; and Prints and Drawings. The museum receives around a half a million visitors per year.
Images
Founded in 1883, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is a free museum operated for the benefit of the general public.
Backstory and Context
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The original part of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts was designed by the New York City firm McKim, Mead and White, and built in 1919. This firm designed numerous neo-classical buildings throughout the country including museums and hotels. The late Japanese architect Kenzo Tange designed an expansion in 1974, and architect Michael Graves designed the other expansion in 2006.
Sources
"Mission and History." Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Accessed April 19, 2014. https://new.artsmia.org/about/museum-info/mission-and-history.