Kimbell Art Museum

▪ museum, Fort Worth, Texas, United States

      collection of world art in a classic modern building, in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S., founded by Kay Kimbell, an industrialist and art patron. Kimbell and his wife established the Kimbell Art Foundation in the 1930s and began collecting paintings. Upon his death in 1964 Kimbell's estate went to the foundation for the establishment of a museum. Designed by the architect Louis I. Kahn (Kahn, Louis I.), the museum opened in 1972. Its 16 barrel-vaulted sections, arranged in parallel rows in three groups, take advantage of natural light to showcase the artworks.

      The museum's holdings include works representing many regions and time periods, from ancient to modern art. Its noted collection of Asian art includes sculpture, ceramics, and scrolls. Pre-Columbian, African, and ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Syrian works are displayed, and the extensive European collection contains primarily French, Italian, English, and Spanish pieces. The museum is located in Fort Worth's Cultural District, which also includes museums of modern art, science and history, and the art of the American West.

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