The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. It has a permanent collection of more than 43,000 works of art. General admission to the permanent galleries is free to the public, with admission fees charged for certain special exhibitions. In June 2008, the museum reopened 19 of its permanent galleries located in the museum's historic 1916 building, upon completion of a significant building renovation that had closed the galleries since 2005. In June 2009, the newly constructed East Wing, which houses elements of the Impressionist, Contemporary, and Modern art collections (including the famed blue-period Picasso work La Vie), reopened to the public.

Holdings

Cleveland Museum of Art divides its collections into 15 departments including Chinese Art, Modern European Art, African Art, Drawings, Prints, European Painting & Sculpture, Textiles & Islamic Art, American Painting & Sculpture, Greek & Roman Art, Contemporary Art, Medieval Art, Decorative Art & Design, Art of the Ancient Americas and Oceania, Photography and Contemporary Art. Artists represented by significant works include Caravaggio, El Greco, Poussin, Rubens, Frans Hals, Gerard David, Goya, J.M.W. Turner, Dalí, Matisse, Renoir, Gauguin, Church, Cole, Corot, Eakins, Monet, van Gogh, Picasso, Bellows. The Museum has been active recently in acquiring later 20th-century art, having added important works by Warhol, Pollock, Christo, Kiefer, Richter, Clemente, Kossoff, Close, Mangold, Tansey and LeWitt, among others.

The museum also maintains a schedule of special exhibitions, lectures, films and musical programs. The department of performing arts, music and film hosts the Panorama Film Series and the VIVA! & Gala Around Town concert series, which brings creative energies of internationally renowned artists into Cleveland.

The department of education at CMA creates programs for lifelong learning from lectures, talks and studio classes to outreach programs and community events, such as "Circle of Masks", "Parade the Circle", "Chalk Festival" and the "Winter Lights Lantern Festival". Educational programs include distance learning, "Art to Go", and the "Educator's Academy". The museum is also home to the Ingalls Library, one of the largest art museum libraries in the United States with almost 431,000 volumes.

Highlights

The museum's large cast of Rodin's The Thinker has a unique but troubled history. Partially destroyed in a bombing in 1970 by The Weathermen, the statue was left unrestored due to the close involvement of the artist in its original casting. The damaged statue is now considered to be interesting commentary on The Thinker which was originally paired with the artist's The Gates of Hell.In June 2004, the museum acquired an ancient bronze sculpture of Apollo Sauroktonos, believed to be an original work by Praxiteles of Athens. Because the work has a contested provenance, the museum continues to study the dating and attribution of the sculpture.

The museum is especially strong in the field of Asian art, possessing one of the best collections in the U.S.

Future expansion

The museum's building and renovation project, "Building for the Future", began in 2005 and is on target for completion in 2012. While the first phase of the project cost $9.3 million more than expected and has pushed back the reopening by 9 months, museum director Timothy Rub has stated that increase in quality will be worth the wait and expense.

When finished, the size of the expanded museum will be approximately 588,000 gross square feet, an increase of . Gallery space will increase 41 percent, from 89,000 to . Overall, the museum will grow from 389,000 to . Enhanced visitor amenities will include new restrooms, an expanded store and café, parking capacity increased to 620 spaces, and a glass-covered courtyard. It will address the need for additional space for the care and presentation of the permanent collection, for a broader range of educational activities, and for improved amenities for visitors. This project is being designed by the firm Rafael Viñoly Architects, which was retained in 2001.

The new museum will feature CMA's two architectural landmarks, the 1916 Beaux Arts south building and the 1971 north building by Marcel Breuer, both of which are being completely renovated. Two additions, an east wing and a west wing, will flank the new facility, and a large courtyard with a soaring glass canopy will crown the center of the structure.

In June 2008, the museum unveiled the first fruits of this building and renovation project, with the reopening of 19 galleries on the second floor of the 1916 building. The special exhibition area in the East Wing opened in 2008. On June 27, 2009, the newly constructed East Wing (which contains modern and contemporary art) opened to the public.

Works in the collection

• Battle of the Nudes
• The Crucifixion of Saint Andrew
• The Thinker

References

External links

• Official site
• FRAME - The Cleveland Museum of Art is a member of FRAME (French Regional American Museum Exchange) and has presented and contributed to FRAME-sponsored exhibitions.