The Des Moines Art Center is an art museum with an extensive collection of paintings, sculpture, modern art and mixed media. It was established in 1948 in Des Moines, Iowa. The Art Center traces its roots to 1916, when the Des Moines Association of Fine Arts established gallery space at the Public Library of Des Moines on the banks of the Des Moines River d…
The Des Moines Art Center is an art museum with an extensive collection of paintings, sculpture, modern art and mixed media. It was established in 1948 in Des Moines, Iowa. The Art Center traces its roots to 1916, when the Des Moines Association of Fine Arts established gallery space at the Public Library of Des Moines on the banks of the Des Moines River downtown. Several exhibitions were shown each year, and works of art were periodically purchased for the association's permanent collection. In 1938, the DMAF moved their collection to a building on Walnut Street. Planning for a permanent building began in 1943 after a sizeable donation from the trust of James D. Edmundson. In 1945, DMAF evolved into the Des Moines Art Center. A site along Grand Avenue in the city's Greenwood Park was designated as the preferred location. Construction began in 1945; the museum itself opened in 1948, with additional wings constructed in 1968 and 1985.
Established: 1948
Location: 4700 Grand Avenue · Des Moines, Iowa
Built: 1948
Architect: Eliel Saarinen (1948 building) · I. M. Pei (1968 addition) · Richard Meier (1985 addition)
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