Birmingham Museum of Art

Great museum, art exhibit much more extensive than expected. Was visiting on a Saturday, no café, surrounding areas a desolate wasteland of transients. What? Small town mentality in an up and coming city. Had to walk through some dodgy areas just to get coffee– have felt more safe in NYC!
Advice to travelers: visit on weekday
Advice to museum: open that café for lunch hour on Saturday!

A must in Bham! I’ve been more times than I can count and I never get tired of returning. They have an excellent collection. Also, Oscar’s café has the best sweet potato fries.

I love being able to attend museums that are free because it gives so many people the opportunity to check out amazing art. What I enjoyed about this museum was that each floor was carefully laid out to match the country of where the art originated. For example, Italian Renaissance art had dark merlot colored walls where the Asian art had more earthy wooden laid furniture pieces. Every art category had very specific cultural references so that every corner was different. If you haven’t checked out the outside sculpture garden, that’s another spot to scope out work and get some cool photo ops.

BeAutiful art museum in the heart of downtown. I have been here a few times and enjoyed myself. One of the times was during Art on the Rocks while that is a party it was not one of my favorite times to many people who could care less about art. Go on a Tuesday at 2. Enjoy the view!

*gets out tiny soap box and climbs on to it* It is part of my personal credo that everyone should have access to arts and culture and it made me giddy with joy that the Birmingham Museum of Art has free parking and free admission. Please consider this a formal mea culpa for any thought I had of Tampa or Orlando being superior in terms of culture, because you know what? They don’t have 100%, 365 days per year, FREE museums. *end rant*
So, yeah. I’d give them TEN stars if I could for being open access and for the quality of the collection here. The museum has the usual paintings and some interesting modern art stuff you’d expect, but it also had a TON of objects — religious carvings, textiles, pottery, even parts of totem poles covering cultures as diverse as Central Africa, India, the Pacific Northwest and even some cool armor and weaponry from Japan. There is a nice sculpture garden as well and the minute we walked out, I noticed a familiarly plump lady reclining and immediately thought «That’s a Botero». Sure enough, it was. The museum also has some cool programs and interactive events where visitors can talk with docents about various art works.
Loved our visit and LOVE LOVE LOVE the commitment to make art available to all!

Let’s not get all highfalutin here. Art isn’t for the snobs and über cultured. Art is for everyone who appreciates beauty, oddity, inventions, and tinkering. This is where you gasp in awe of Yosemite landscapes and snicker at plump breasts (if you’re 12, which I occasionally become).
I’ve taken the family here to see many exhibits and for an occasional cruise down art history lane. I’ve also done story-​time programs here. My children have been pushed in strollers past Monet and gotten artsy crafty in the children’s areas.
So this past exhibit is the «Small Treasures,» which displays small-​format paintings by Dutch and Flemish artists. The details are exquisite, capturing light effects and the most inconspicuous gestures of subjects’ faces. The only con was not having a magnifying glass. These suckers were wee works of art.
If you don’t have tickets to the exhibit, there are still many works that are equally if not more breathtaking that you can see for FREE. I cannot help but get lost in Beirstadt’s work. That is my favorite piece at BMA. If anyone is looking, that’s where I’ll be.

The Birmingham Museum of Art is an under-​appreciated jewel. Saturday, my husband and I attended the «Small Treasures: Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals & Their Contemporaries.» Anyone into art — GO SEE THIS SHOW! Rembrandt is known for his use of light and light sources. The Flemish and Dutch masters left an impact on Western art during The Enlightenment. Vermeer’s style has been compared to photography in regards to the focus in some of his paintings.
Frank Fleming also has his sculptures on display. Fleming is my very favorite local artist. He’s already in the art books, and is one of the nicest artists I’ve met. (I worked at an art gallery during graduate school. Fleming let me tag along and see his house and work space.) If you’re into fairy tales and mythology, Fleming’s anthropomorphic animals are a must see.
My favorite permanent exhibits are the European pieces. The most impressionable and haunting is «La Sorceress», painted in a romantic realism style. The most stunning is «L’Aurora» by Bouguereau, which is part a famous series. Birmingham is lucking to have the original. Sargent’s «Lady Helen Vincent…» is my third favorite. She is still a beauty by today’s standards.
If you dig art, or you’re looking for something different to do, spend a day at the museum. It’s free with the exception of the special exhibits. Also, try attending one of the functions, such as Art on the Rocks.

Great variety and awesome that it is free!

A very nice museum with a bit too much of a ceramic /​pottery collection for my liking. There was not any Egyptian art, which was a surprise. They had some great samurai pieces and a few great pieces of African art. Free admission!

It’s wonderful to be able to enjoy amazing works of art for FREE. It was not crowded and I liked that. There was no cafeteria, which makes it difficult, but the restaurant had good (pricey) food. Layout was poor in several areas and there was very limited info on the pieces. A little upset, but I did enjoy my time there.

Definitely a cool art museum with a wide range of art. The exhibit was Norman Rockwell so that might have boosted the rating. They have some amazing Japanese and Asian works. Also it’s free. So open your mind and go! The museum should have some more open art pieces not placed behind glass.

I have a student membership to the museum It’s 100% worth it. I went to the Renoir exhibit three times and the Samurai exhibit twice. I am highly anticipating the Vermeer exhibit (Jan 31, 2015). The general admission exhibits (which are free) are very unique. I am especially drawn to the layout of the museum. It seems to flow in a geographical sense and allows you to draw connections between cultures and customs without focusing too much on dates and periods. The Wedgewood pottery exhibit is extraordinary! I wish could spend more time in the Member’s room. I will say one strange thing about the museum is that even though Oscar’s is suppose to be open it never seems to be. I’ve tried stopping by for coffee a few times and the staff there always seem to ignore me. I just bring my own coffee. Although I have not been to First Thursday or Art on the Rocks I have heard they are very fun!

First off FREE ADMISSION! Ok now that that’s out of the way, this is small art museum that you can easily knock out in an hour or 2 if you want.
One side of the first floor has modern art, the other side is the 17−18^th century painters. This area is more than just paintings. They have sculptures, furniture, home goods, dishware, and tapestries. This is where I drop a star. theres not a whole lot of paintings from the 1800’s. maybe a room 2 tops. But they do have a selection. Only one or 2 of each artists works. Upstairs they have a collection of Native American art, Asian, African and Victorian era collections.
The best part is the outside sculpture garden. Did you know Dali did sculpture? He did, and they have out outside. There’s a large almost jungle gym looking modern area that is really pretty. And then there’s the older darker works along a pathway back to the museum. Definitely check it out even if the weather isn’t great, it’s my favorite area!

I love the Birmingham Museum. I’ve been here so many times it’s ridiculous but it never seems to get old. There’s so many great pieces of art here, with the L’envoûteuse (The Sorceress) probably being my favorite. You really need to see this one in person. The sculpture garden is also beautiful. There’s a lot of work to see here and appreciate.
Best of all it’s free to get in, with an option to pay to see an exhibit that changes from time to time. I think it’s worth it as they usually are awesome. Norman Rockwell collection was one I recall that they did at the beginning of the year.

My partner and I visited the art museum yesterday. First off, it’s free… FREE! That alone warrants a visit. While the collection includes some secondary works from major artists, the curatorial staff has done a wonderful job of organizing it to really display its breadth. The sculpture garden, with its Botero, Dali, and LeWitt, was a nice place to sit and enjoy the warm weather for a few minutes. Oh, the icing on the cake is the INCREDIBLE Wedgwood collection. The art museum was the highlight of our visit to Birmingham.

Yes 1000 times yes. I have to honest be and say that more often than not I am at the Museum during the Art on the Rocks event but that does afford you the opportunity to look through the Museum prior to the concert starting. I am pretty much a novice when it comes to fine art but from what I understand we have the best Art Museum in the Southeast and we should be darn proud of it. Support this Museum in any way possible.

We visited the museum this afternoon and we really liked it. Our favorite parts of the collection were European decorative art and the sculptures in Asian Art. Also, the sculpture garden had several large/​lovely sculptures of people & several benches — and despite the nearby highway noise, it was otherwise very tranquil. The gift shop’s selection was just «fair», but the two women working there were very nice. In fact, *everyone* we encountered — including the receptionist, the guards and a maintenance worker — was exceptionally friendly. Lastly, admission is *free*.
There’s a parking garage on the same block and it only costs $ 1/​hour.

I didn’t expect a museum like this in Birmingham…
The main lobby of the museum features a 2 story atrium where Dale Chihuly glass sculptors are on display. Paintings, photography, sculptures, ceramics, old chairs and desks. Oh, and a few swords and guns. From the Americas (Native/​Pre-​Columbian), local Alabama/​Birmingham art, Asian, African, European, and Contemporary/​Modern art.
I am definitely not well versed in art (ists), but there are works by well know people. «Oh look, there is a Monet,» was overheard a few times. There is a gallery of African pottery. There is a large Wedgwood/​Jasperware gallery. Interesting I guess, but mostly because of all the blue (I like blue). The Vetlesen Jade Collection seemed to have people interested, and of course, Renaissance art has a large presence.
My favorite piece, «Looking Down Yosemite Valley, California» by Albert Bierstadt. I’m definitely more interesting in huge/​landscape scenes rather than portraiture and painting of people with wings. Not that there is anything wrong with those. Currently, there is also a small hall exhibiting local student (K-​12) artwork on the bottom floor.
Photography (non flash) is allowed in galleries/​collections that belong to the museum. If you are going to take pictures you have to listen to a «rules» speech, sign a form, and the you get a nice little red sticker saying that you understand the rules. The museum was not very crowed at all, but this may have been the first time I’ve been to a museum and not seen flashes going off all over the place.
There seemed to be lots of work going on around the museum, so some galleries were not open. There are two sculpture gardens displaying artwork. Those were only seen from the inside so I can’t really comment on them. Just like other museums, there is a café (Oscar’s) and a museum store. The store must be trying to get rid of most things because there were 25−75% off signs everywhere.
The staff seemed to be friendly and offered assistance a few times, but not too much as to become annoying.
Free Admission!
Free parking!
If you are in Birmingham, go here!

Here is my admission: I used to be prejudiced against cities that weren’t New York or Washington. I used to think that all the good art is only there. That the cities in «flyover country» were culture-​less. Poor them.
And every time I am able to visit an art museum during my travel, I find myself wrong. Atlanta, Minneapolis, Boston, Seattle, Richmond, Phoenix, Milwaukee. Heck, even Montréal and Calgary! All these cities have GREAT art museums. And now I can add Birmingham to the list of places where I was wrong!
Birmingham’s Museum of Art is well curated and neatly organized by genre. In some places, they’ve successfully «mixed» the portraiture with sculpture and furniture artifacts from the same time period. Great 14^th and 15^th century European art to more modern stuff through the 17^th and 18^th centuries up to recent abstracts and photographic art. I loved that I could almost press my nose right up to the Monet to see the individual brushstrokes.
Upstairs, a huge collection of pottery and ceramics. Italian porcelain, Chinese, Japanese, Thai and a big set up of African pottery too. Japanese matchlock guns next to samurai swords.
Did I mention that it’s free? Yes, it’s completely and utterly free. There is a donation box in the entryway.
Don’t be like me. There’s art out there in the world

My husband and I spent the day exploring the city that we live in and oh what a joy to experience the things we often take for granted. The museum was FREE and had lots to see. Though this was more my husband’s cup of tea, I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure.
I found 3 – 5 exhibits that were worthwhile. While we were there they hosted an activity for children so lots of children were running around in fall festival/​halloween attire. Very family oriented, a good way to brush up on things unknown, lots of reading involved and possibly 2 hours (and we didn’t even stop at every exhibit) of fun! Great date with your spouse and great way to get out of the house. Less crowded on Saturday especially to be open 10 – 5!!(shocker).
Happy reading!