During your visit to this Columbus attraction, explore the museum’s permanent collection as well as a rich menu of traveling and Columbus Museum of Art organized special exhibitions that reflect the diverse voices of the community. Additionally the art museum houses the Museum Store and Palette Express Café.
Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century American and European Modern Art
An outstanding collection of late nineteenth and early twentieth century American and European modern art with spectacular examples of Impressionism, German Expressionism and Cubism is among the Columbus Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Highlights of the collection include works by artists such as Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Edward Hopper and Georgia O'Keeffe.
Regional Collections
The Columbus Museum of Art is recognized for its collections of regional art. Delight in the largest public collection of woodcarvings by Columbus folk artist Elijah Pierce as well as the world’s largest repository of paintings and lithographs by Columbus native George Bellows, widely regarded as the finest American artist of his generation.
The Photo League Collection
Also included in the museums holdings is The Photo League collection. The Photo League took to the streets of New York to record the effects of poverty, war, racial inequality and social injustice. The League was active from 1936 to 1951 and included among its members some of the most noted American photographers of the mid-20th century. Photographs by Berenice Abbott, W. Eugene Smith and Weegee are some of the featured artists in the collection.
The Philip and Suzanne Schiller Collection of American Social Commentary Art
The Philip and Suzanne Schiller Collection of American Social Commentary Art 1930–1970, is also included in the Columbus Museum of Art’s permanent collection and is considered to be, according the Virginia Mecklenburg, Chief Curator of Smithsonian American Art Museum “unquestionably the most important collection of its kind in the country.” The Philip and Suzanne Schiller Collection is comprised of works by Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Ben Shahn, Lucile Blanch, Lucienne Bloch, Moses Soyer, George Tooker, Paul Cadmus, Jared French, Rockwell Kent, and George Grosz.
Dining at Palette Express Café
Enjoy a snack or lunch at Columbus Museum of Art’s Palette Express Café. You will find a changing menu of sandwiches, salads and sweets.
Shopping in the Museum Store
Be sure to stop by the Museum Store, located in Gallery 6 on the second floor of the Columbus Museum of Art. Exhibition related items, books, handmade jewelry, gifts and cards are just some of the items available to purchase.
- Non-flash photography is permitted for private, noncommercial use, only in galleries devoted to the artwork owned by the Columbus Museum of Art. Works on loan from private individuals or other institutions may not be photographed including works in special exhibitions.
- A limited number of wheelchairs are available to check out on a first-come, first-served basis from the Admission Desk.