memphis brooks museum of art

The Brooks Museum was established in 1916 making it the oldest in Tennessee. It can be found in the Overton Park area and is close to the Memphis Zoo. The building here also is a work of art. The Beaux Arts building is a national landmark and right in front is 3 statues representing fall..winter..and spring (The Three Graces) and these art deco sculptures are just stunning.There are 29 galleries alone. The over 9000 works of art cover many centuries and from all over the world. There are old world masters..sculptures..African tribal masks..they have French..Baroque..Italian..British..and French Impressionists. There are pre Columbian artifacts. And yep so modern day "art" (I use the word lightly). There is beautiful Religious Art. And they have some beautiful vases from all over the world (I love vases and baskets). I was in pure heaven here going from artifact to artifact and admiring the beauty before me. And yes compared to other museums it is small. That doesn't mean you should visit. I have been blessed enough to visit world class museums all over the world including NYC..Washington DC..and London. And was truly impressed with the Brooks Museum. When you visit a museum you get to explore the world all in one place. They do have a number of events and classes throughout the year. If you have a smart phone, you can download an app that gives you a guide to the museum. You can host you big event here or why not have a wedding here? They do have wheelchair rental and are handicapped accessible. They do have a restaurant and gift shop on the premises and plenty of free parking. Again..smaller..yes...world class..you bet ya!

I prefer the Dixon Gallery & Gardens over the Brooks, but if you're interested in art and have the time, go to both.The best thing about the Brooks is that it's located in Overton Park, a lovely old park, designed by someone influenced by the same person who designed New York City's Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted: http://www.parkfriends.net/overton-park.htmlBack to the Brooks. It's a lovely old building, and they do have travelling exhibits as well as a permanent collection. They have a film series, lectures, a restaurant and a gift shop. They offer a lot of programming. The thing is, it's just not an exciting museum. I've had far better museum experiences in DC, New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It's very staid, and it has been for the 30 years I've lived in Memphis.Occasionally they get an exciting traveling exhibit, but overall, I prefer visiting the Dixon Gallery and Gardens.Again, if you have the time, and you like art, it's worth a visit. However, if you have to pick between the two, the Dixon or the Brooks, go to the Dixon. It's smaller, but it's more interesting. Be sure to check out the web site before visiting to see what is being exhibited during the time of your anticipated visit.

Overton Park offers an interesting change of pace for visitors to Memphis. The outdoor public art attracted our attention and the quality of the winter light made photography a feature of our visit. Benches allow visitors to rest and appreciate the friezes and public art which surround the exterior of the Brooks Museum. I wish I could share my visual impressions here, as the enormous metal sculpture behind the building which resembles a modern dinosaur captures the imagination.Rotating exhibits attract specific audiences and there are often school buses reflecting the service provided to the community by this institution. Small and well appointed, the interior is cozier than most museums and features a modest museum store offering many items produced by regional artists. The aroma of gourmet cuisine teases the visitor, so it would be wise to get reservations to dine before visiting here. The only negative is the lack of wheelchair access.

The Brooks is fairly small but has a good collection representative of different periods of art. The setting, in Overton Park, is wonderful. Check the scheduled events and exhibits listings on the Museum website, so that you can choose your visit time to meet your interests. I find that just dropping in any time is a perfect way to discover something new. I have visited some of the top museums in the world, like the Louvre, D'Orsey, the Tate, the Guggenheim, the Met - and the Brooks visit still provides a thrill. Take time out for lunch in their very good restaurant.

Coming from NYC, my museum standards are fairly high. I didn't have high expectations of this place and they were not nearly met. The animal mummy exhibit (from a Brooklyn museum no less) was spread out in a weird space that looked like the basement of an industrial building and had almost no impact. Once you've seen one ibis mummy, you've seen them all? There was almost one hidden room in the same basement space that had some interesting photos from a local MFA student but it was so hard to find that we almost missed it. The other permanent pieces were just ok and were not so well curated that they told a story or had impact. There was one terrific black & white photo on the main floor that offered an image some of the civil rights drama that I was hoping to see in a southern art museum. Maybe we came at a bad time? The place was closing so we didn't get a chance to see some of the more Afro-centric pieces on the top floor. All-in-all, a disappointment.

Had a Groupon so we went and glad we did. They had a lot of different styles of art and an exhibit of Egyptian artifacts that always interest me. I thought the place was well laid out and had signs around each piece discribing each painter and piece of art. Highly recommend it and its right in front of another great Memphis attraction the zoo.

My daughter and I enjoy art and going to art galleries. This museum had a wide and interesting collection, from Renaissance to contemporary. They had a special exhibition of animal mummies that was particularly interesting. The museum also had interesting artwork from Africa and Latin America.

The Brooks Museum houses fine art in a permanent collection as well as traveling exhibitions, a small section dedicated to children, and a theater that shows specialty films or has small concerts. Check the listings for what is going on so you can schedule your visit to take advantage of everything available. There is also a really nice restaurant which looks out on the park so you can spend quite a bit of time in the museum if you want to take a lunch break.

We visited several times over the years, including November 2014, when there was an exhibition of Rodin's work the likes and size of which I haven't seen a visit to the Musee Rodin in Paris. Permanent collection is also impressive and well worth revisiting.

Last week our students visited the Brooks for a specific lesson entitled "Materials and Meaning". Our group was broken down into small groups for an intimate and in depth tour. The lesson was focused on specific pieces from the collection. After the tour, the students were invited into the studio to create art patterned after artist Willie Cole's prints made from irons. The students enjoyed their experience, especially since only one had ever visited the museum. I highly recommend the Brooks for our community and school field trips. This pairs nicely with a picnic lunch next door at Overton Park.

Brooks has great shows and this one, originating from the Brooklyn Museum, was very interesting and entertaining. I read everything, and probably should have gotten the audio tour, but fell into a tour that touched on some interesting high points. I had no idea Egypt had so many millions of animal mummies, from ibises, cats and dogs to alligators and tiny shrews. The intricate wrappings and sarcophagi were outstanding.

I went with my art professor daughter so I had my own docent. I am also a lifelong learning student who had a student ID so the entrance fees were reduced for me. If one enjoys art, this would be the museum to see in Memphis especially since it is in the lovely setting of Overton Park which has many other places of interest to visit like the great zool.

Brooks has a pretty amazing collection for what is considered a secondary market for art museums, and it is presented in a gorgeous facility amidst beautiful Overton Park, in the middle of the city. And the temporary exhibits are always interesting and worth seeing.

I thought some of the exhibits were cool, but over all i wasn't really impressed. There were a ton of people with really loud kids... so maybe that had something to do with it.The outside garden is beautiful but most of the (outside of the building looks old and dingy). I was glad I went, but I probably won't go back again.

Although its a small museum, the exhibits are set out well and some quality paintings. Was fun to explain to my grandsons why naked people in art is Ok.