Today the Asheville Arts Museum is known as the only organization of its kind, transforming lives through providing unique cultural and educational experiences for locals and visitors alike. During your visit to this Asheville attraction, explore the art museum’s collection of 20th and 21st century American art, special exhibitions featuring renowned regional and national artists and works of significance to Western North Carolina’s cultural heritage including Studio Craft, Black Mountain College and Cherokee artists.
Asheville Art Museum’s Permanent Collection
Boasting over 3,500 works in all media and more than 4,900 architectural drawings, the Asheville Art Museum’s permanent collections preserve important aspects of our national and regional heritage and support the museum’s innovative and outstanding exhibition experiences. Pieces within the permanent collection span from paintings by Sigmund Abeles to sculptures by Minnie Adkins, crafts made by Jackie Abrams to photographs by Shelby Lee Adams.
Selections from the Permanent Collection: 140 Years of American Art
The 140 Years of American Art exhibit allows you to chart the evolution of American art from the late 19th century to the early 21st century. Pieces such as Evening on the Hudson by George Inness set the stage for art at the dawn of the 20th century. The period between World War I and World War II, often noted for the prevalence of American Scene artists is demonstrated through the works by Thomas Hart Benton and Isaac Friedlander. Examples of Abstract Expressionism during the post-World War II era include pieces by Hans Hofmann and Adolph Gottlieb. From the early 20th century you can admire works by American Impressionists such as Childe Hassam and Myron Barlow while Neo-Expressionism and Conceptual art demonstrate the new styles that emerged during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Cycle: Hoss Haley
Located in the Artworks Project Space Gallery, dedicated to showcasing site-specific installations by noteworthy artists, is the large-scale sculpture, Cycle, by Hoss Haley. Made of recycled enameled steel, Hoss Haley’s sculpture exaggerates the idea of “tossing away.” Haley commented “For decades the scrap yard has been a major source of both raw material and inspiration. As the consumer demand for cheaper products increase, the quality of the products decreases, as does the life span of the goods…Cycle became a way to exaggerate the idea of “tossing away” and to demonstrate the precariousness of this act.”
Shopping in the Asheville Art Museum Shop
Don’t forget to explore the Asheville Art Museum Shop with a wide variety of museum-related books, stationary, contemporary gifts, clothing and regional handmade items.
- Be sure to visit the Ennead Architects: Design Process to see what Asheville Art Museum’s future holds. Currently on view in Asheville Art Museum’s Biltmore Gallery, Ennead Architects: Design Process details the design process for the future expansion of the Asheville Art Museum through this special exhibition organized by the architects.
- In addition to its permanent exhibitions, the art museum features temporary exhibits throughout the year.
- The Asheville Art Museum is fully accessible.