My Visit to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is in Kansas City, MO, houses a very impressive collection of great art of all kinds, and is FREE to get into. There is currently a special exhibition about art deco going on that costs $18 to get into (a little steep for spouse and me when we were there in July), but the rest of the collection is free.

The most iconic symbol of the Nelson-Atkins isn’t a painting at all; it is a sculpture. Sculpture maker Claes Oldenburg was commissioned to do pieces for their sculpture garden, and he came up with these wonderful shuttlecocks that are all around their property. They are FANTASTIC; you can even stand underneath one of them to catch a bit of shade on a warm day.  Claes Oldenburg died in New York City the weekend after we were there; I’m so glad we were there when we were to appreciate his work.

Another fantastic part of their sculpture garden is The Thinker by Auguste Rodin. Of course, every time I see a “Thinker,” I must ham it up with him.

Missouri’s own Thomas Hart Benton is well-represented here. Benton was one of Jackson Pollock’s first teachers. Pollock learned from Benton that art could be big but not always figurative and could change the world. Here are Benton’s Hollywood and Crapshooters.

Hollywood - Thomas Hart Benton

Crapshooters - Thomas Hart Benton

Great American contemporary artists, many of my favorites, are also well-represented at Nelson-Atkins including Grace Hartigan, Hedda Sterne, Jackson Pollock, and Willem

deKooning.

Broadway Restaurant - Grace Hartigan

Airport #1 - Hedda Sterne

No.6 - Pollock

Woman IV - deKooning

Kansas City is a cool town. It is a good mesh of art, history, jazz history (Charlie Parker is from

ever get there, be sure to go to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; I didn’t and couldn’t

highlight everything in their HUGE collection, but you will not regret going there, and you

will find something to fall in love with.