Art at the BMA

The Baltimore Museum of Art houses one of the most significant collections of African art in the United States. The Museum’s holdings include about 2,500 works that span roughly 5,000 years of artistic production and represent more than 200 cultures across the African continent. A major gift from Janet Wurtzburger (1908–1973) and Alan Wurtzburger (1900–1963) in 1954 helped establish a permanent place for African art within the BMA’s collection. Today, the galleries present a selection of artworks that reflect the wide diversity of artistic traditions across Africa. Sculptures, ceremonial objects, textiles, and contemporary works reveal how artists have responded to social, political, and spiritual life over time. The installation explores themes such as the development of powerful kingdoms, the spread of religious traditions, encounters with European imperialism, and movements for independence and self-determination. Throughout the galleries, artworks demonstrate how artistic expression is closely connected to community, belief, and leadership. Together, these works offer visitors an opportunity to experience the creativity and cultural depth of African artists across centuries.

The Julius Levy Memorial Galleries present the Baltimore Museum of Art’s collection of Asian art across two gallery spaces. More than 150 works explore artistic traditions from across Asia, including objects from India, Indonesia, Iran, Türkiye, and East Asia. Ceramics, textiles, prints, photographs, and paintings highlight materials, technologies, and cultural exchanges that have shaped artistic production across the region. The first gallery focuses on everyday life, featuring works that relate to writing, dining, clothing, and domestic spaces. The second gallery highlights Chinese art, with ceramics, metalwork, and porcelain that reflect China’s role in global trade as well as the country’s philosophical and religious traditions. Visitors will encounter representations of Guanyin, the Buddhist embodiment of compassion, whose calm presence invites reflection. Together, these galleries offer insight into the artistic innovation, cultural exchange, and long histories that have shaped Asian art across centuries.

The Cone Wing houses the Baltimore Museum of Art’s internationally renowned collection of European modern art. Especially known for its extraordinary collection of works by Henri Matisse, the wing cares for more than 1,600 works by this modern master. The galleries also feature paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts by artists including Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, and Marie Laurencin. Visitors can also explore movements such as Expressionism, Cubism, Abstraction, and Surrealism through works by artists including Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Piet Mondrian, and Joan Miró. Many of these works were collected by Baltimore sisters Claribel Cone and Etta Cone, whose passion for modern art shaped the Museum’s holdings. A re-creation of a room from the Cone sisters’ Baltimore apartments displays paintings, sculptures, textiles, and decorative objects much as they once appeared in situ. Together, the galleries reveal the creativity and experimentation that shaped modern art.

The Contemporary Wing presents works by artists from the 1960s to today, exploring how art reflects the challenges and possibilities of the present moment. Across ten galleries, installations range from focused presentations by individual artists to groupings that explore shared ideas and themes.

The Mary Frick Jacobs Wing presents European painting, sculpture, and decorative arts created between 1200 and 1800. Named for BMA donor Mary Frick Jacobs (1848–1936), the wing includes nine galleries that explore artistic developments across early modern Europe. The displays highlight themes such as religious devotion, cross-cultural exchange, artistic mobility, and the lasting influence of Greco-Roman traditions. Paintings by artists including Sandro Botticelli and Nicolas Poussin appear alongside sculptures, stained glass, ceramics, and finely crafted objects made from ivory, bronze, and terracotta. Seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish paintings are shown with ceramics and stonework produced in Africa, Asia, and Europe, illustrating global trade and artistic exchange. Works by artists such as Anthony van Dyck, Raphael, Titian, and Auguste Rodin demonstrate changing styles and ideas across centuries. Together, these galleries present a rich and varied view of European artistic creativity and craftsmanship during a transformative period in art history.

The Dorothy McIlvain Scott American Wing presents painting, sculpture, and decorative arts from the United States. Located in the Museum’s historic 1929 building, the wing includes ten galleries and four period rooms that reflect the diversity of artistic production in this country. Portraits by artists such as John Singleton Copley, Charles Willson Peale, and Baltimore-based painter Joshua Johnson reveal early American society and identity. The galleries also feature decorative arts including silver, painted furniture, ceramics, and stained glass by artists such as Louis Comfort Tiffany. Sculptures by William Rinehart, Edmonia Lewis, Gaston Lachaise, and Simone Brangier Boas demonstrate evolving artistic styles. Twentieth-century works by artists including Georgia O’Keeffe, Jacob Lawrence, Jackson Pollock, and Louise Nevelson highlight responses to industrialization, urban life, and social change. Together, these galleries invite visitors to explore the many stories that shape the history of art in the Americas.

Antioch Court explores the ancient Mediterranean as a place of movement, exchange, and cultural connection. Lining the walls are mosaics from the ancient cities of Antioch and Daphne in present-day Türkiye, and they are displayed alongside objects from regions including Greece and North Africa. These works reveal how artists and materials traveled widely across the Mediterranean world between the first and sixth centuries. The sea served as a central route connecting societies across Africa, Asia, and Europe, allowing ideas, goods, and artistic styles to circulate. Precious materials such as textiles, metals, and gemstones arrived from regions as far away as South Asia, while incense and luxury goods were traded from the Arabian Peninsula. Merchants, travelers, scholars, and armies also moved through this network of exchange. Together, the artworks in Antioch Court demonstrate how ancient cultures influenced one another, shaping a vibrant artistic landscape that connected distant communities.

The Woodward Gallery presents British sporting art celebrating the culture of horse racing. Paintings of horses, racing scenes, and stable life are displayed alongside silver and gold racing trophies in an interior designed by Billy Baldwin (1903–1983). Many of the trophies date from the 18th to the early 20th centuries and demonstrate how historic vessels were adapted as symbols of victory and prestige. Some were created by internationally known goldsmiths such as Cartier and the Stieff Company. The collection reflects the legacy of William Woodward, who operated one of the most successful racing and breeding stables in the United States in nearby Bowie, Maryland. Portraits of champion racehorses appear alongside genre scenes by artists known for animal paintings, including the celebrated English painter George Stubbs (1724–1806). Together, these works highlight the long relationship between art, sport, and the traditions of horse racing.

The Contemporary Wing presents works by artists from the 1960s to today, exploring how art reflects the challenges and possibilities of the present moment. Across ten galleries, installations range from focused presentations by individual artists to groupings that explore shared ideas and themes.

Discover modern and contemporary sculpture in the Baltimore Museum of Art’s outdoor sculpture gardens. Located beside the Museum’s main entrance, the 17,000-square-foot Alan and Janet Wurtzburger Sculpture Garden features works by artists Alexander Calder, Wangechi Mutu, Isamu Noguchi, and Auguste Rodin, among others. Paths lead visitors around fountains, walls, and open spaces where sculptures appear among trees and waterways.

Through a nearby gateway lies the two-acre Ryda and Robert H. Levi Sculpture Garden, a sunken landscape designed for viewing monumental works from the later 20th century. Sculptures by artists such as Anthony Caro, Joan Miró, Louise Nevelson, and Tony Smith rise among terraced paths, trellises, and hedged walkways that encourage multiple ways of seeing. Together, the gardens offer a peaceful setting where art and nature meet. Visitors can explore large-scale sculptures, pause along the pathways, or relax on the central lawn while enjoying art outdoors throughout the seasons.