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Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
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$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for Albright-Knox Art Gallery
I had so much fun here. Perhaps it was the company, or perhaps it's because I love art. I'd like to think it was a mix of both!
The space flows well and the collections are extensive in their tastes and genres. There's definitely a little something for everyone. If you love intricate art, that's here. If you love black canvas with a red stripe, that's here as well. Drawings, paintings, sculptures... so many amazing things to look at!
Oh, it is also free on Friday, though one little section was pay only. We decided to not pay and just view everything else, and I'm okay with that. Good people, good art, good times. That's the Albright-Knox Art Gallery!
A friend of a friend told me about free fridays. Back when elmwood and allentown were respectable i would walk down, taking in the sights and food and end here. For Buffalo, this is a huge plus and surprisingly great!
get lost in creation...inspire yourself.
Across the street from the Albright-Know Gallery is Buffalo State College. It's the smaller sister school of the (probably) better known University of Buffalo but both are in the SUNY system. At this point you've either stopped reading this review or are thinking: please get to the point!
Here it is, as a art student at Buffalo State College across Elmwood Avenue, I spent many a day in the Albright-Knox Gallery and I am grateful for it. The museum holds a diverse array of paintings and sculptures and is large enough so that you can return time and time again without getting bored but small enough to really do in one day.
I see people complain here that the collection is random but that's probably the point. With this being (as far as I know) the only major art museum in Western New York, it has to have a wide appeal. I found the randomness appealing and quaint in a way. Even now I remember spending snowy days int he museum taking notes for a particular art or design project or just spending some time surrounded by art.
There are pieces by some of the biggest names in modern art here including Lichtenstein, Warhol, van Gogh, and deKooning. The gallery serves as a cultural center and at the risk of sounding too much like an advertisement is located at the edge of beautiful Delaware Park overlooking the lake in the first of famous landscape designer Fredrick Law Olmstead's Buffalo parks.
Personally, I have fond memories of this museum and have returned many times since college, always drawn in by its accessibility and diversity.
A truly world class art museum. Surprisingly good and well representative of various groups of art. Cool building as well. A great way to spend a snowy afternoon in Buffalo.
This is a great modern art gallery. Free Friday nights are definitely a perk - but beware, the crowds can get intense - as with anything that's free.
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery's original mission was to collect works of art by living artists, primarily American. While the collection later included art from other cultures and time periods, the mission has generally continued to focus on modern art.
The parent organization of this institution, the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, is one of the oldest art establishments in the United States. It was formed in 1862. The original building -- designed by architect E.B. Green, who also designed the Toledo Museum of Art and the Dayton Art Institute -- was erected in 1905. (Look for the limestone caryatids on the exterior designed by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens.) The building's modern addition was designed by Gordon Bunshaft and it opened in 1962. The visitor experience is heightened by the natural daylight that floods into many of the rooms.
A gallery is defined as a room or building for the display or sale of works of art. A museum is a building in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited. If you visit a city's art institution, the word 'museum' usually appears in the title. The fact that the Albright-Knox still retains the word 'gallery' in its title offers a clue to its current state of affairs.
For decades, the art on the walls remained pretty much in the same places. Pieces were added and, if you were a regular visitor, you noticed subtle changes in the overall presentation. For all intents and purposes, it looked and acted like a museum that could get a little sleepy at times.
Fast forward to the 21st century. Even with its 1962 addition, the relatively small square footage footprint means that there's not much space to show off everything. Add the economic crisis, a decreasing endowment, a decreasing city population, and mass entertainment that has an endless tug-of-war for the visitor dollar then you have a result that clearly shakes up the can's contents. That's no surprise: many museums battle similar demons.
There's nothing sleepy about the Albright-Knox anymore. You never know what will be on the walls during your next visit. Whole galleries devoted to the permanent collection may be temporarily abandoned to a traveling exhibition. There is, indeed, a sense of chaotic disarray. Be adventurous, be patient, and go along for the ride. Because you don't know what to expect, your emotional reaction and appreciation of what's on display may change dramatically on each visit. Sometimes, you'll feel you paid too much for admission and other times you'll feel it's the best bargain in the world. Sometimes, you may want to stage a protest on the Albright-Knox's doorstep and other times you may want to kiss a curator.
The Albright-Knox is a museum that has in many ways become a gallery and it can be a maddening experience, but also a joyous and very much a vibrant one. It's not perfect, to be sure. This is an institution trying to prove its continued relevance and it wants you involved in its journey.
I'm giving this gallery low marks because of the amazing ridiculousness of its staff. After arriving for "free" Friday, we were informed that the upstairs show requires admission. I've been to plenty of museums, but it seems to me when you organise an exhibition of art composed mostly of stuff from your own permanent collection, you shouldn't be ticketing it separately. Strike 1.
Want to take pictures of the exhibition? I'm sorry, not upstairs. Don't want to use the audio tour? Take it back downstairs yourself. Don't sit too close to the wall (at a bench no less), you'll get the wall dirty. I'm not an 8 year-old kid. Everyone there was telling us what not to do. I've never been to such a negative museum within the first 15 minutes. Strike 2.
Interactive art that you can touch? Don't touch it too much. Move it back. The people watching the cameras don't like it. I saw one picture in the gift shop I didn't notice on the walls. So I asked the information person about it:
Her: "Oh, you didn't see it on the walls? It's not there."
Me: "Can you look it up for me where it might be?"
Her: "Oh, our computer can't do that."
That's it. No, 'I'm sorry I'll ask someone' for you, no attempt whatsoever to be helpful. That would be asking too much of the "information" desk. Strike 3.
I'll still talk about the art. At best, the artists might be famous, but the works are not their best items. Few things I saw were memorable or even noteworthy for the artists that made them. I saw a Picasso and a Magritte that I would never have attributed to them, and I like a lot of their work. I left feeling underwhelmed at the collection.
Overall, this museum felt like it was overly self-important, and its training programme must be atrocious if it had that many different people making our visit unpleasant. So, In summary, I wouldn't recommend this place unless you're a serious contemporary art fan that can get past the ineptness of the staff.
Who thought I'd give my first one star review to an art museum?
Buffalo is a city ( I know its hard to believe), and like most cities Buffalo has museums. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, is truly awesome. It's small enough to wander through in one day, but it definitely isn't lack at all in its collection. The grounds are beautiful and upon exiting you can walk straight into Delaware Park.
A Quick Factoid:
The building itself is one of the few still remaining buildings from the PanAm Expo in 1901. It was supposed to be part of the Fine Arts Pavilion, but construction wasn't completed until 1905.
Thankfully i went here on Free friday otherwise I would have been disappointed to spent any money to see the museum. I felt that over all the pieces were random, the whole place didn't really have any direction or flow. It was just random pieces with the occasional well known artists, but usually their lowest works. Modern was mixed with classical and contemporary, which kind of conflicts the whole place to me. It seemed pieces were hung just to fill the wall or because it was some famous artist.
The staff as well were confused whether to charge us or not for the upstairs, but eventually let us go thru without offering the audio tour players. Not until we were done did we realize we missed out on that. Oh well.
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is a must-see for visitors of Buffalo, and Buffalo residents alike. With a nice permanent collection, and a smart rotation of newer pieces, there is something for everyone.
If you're curious about the Albright-Knox, check it out for free on Friday's from 3-10 p.m (called Gusto at the Gallery). You won't be able to see all of the exhibits, but you will get to see a good portion of the gallery's permanent collection, as well as having access to some workshops surrounding the theme of that week's Gusto. From what I can tell, they offer free workshops that cater to both adults and children.
If you do enjoy the museum, definitely check it out and pay the admission to get in. The collection at the Albright-Knox is extensive and very well put together.
No sooner did I get back from a vacation that took me through Buffalo then I saw the latest issue of New York magazine, talking up the many charms of this city.
Well, the Albright Knox Gallery is one of those charming things. The collections are housed in a space that merges the original museum's architecture with a contemporary addition. The renovation works very well and offers visitors attractive spaces to view the art, a sculpture garden, etc.
One of the exhibits I saw -- "Op art Revisited"-- was both a great survey on the subject and also an interesting look back at the two previous shows the AK has done on this topic (in the mid-60s and again in the early seventies).
The Albright Knox donors are very smart collectors -- Witness the current show of works on paper from the Forman collection.
Interesting, intelligent shows to see, a pleasant space to see them in, a good reason for me to go back to Buffalo for another visit.
I make it a point to go to the Knox once a month, I will never understand people that dont go, especially when its free on Fridays! There is always something going on, and while the majority of the pieces are permanent, there always new pieces here and there. For the most part, I also love all the rotating exhibits,especially the Andrea Zittel exhibits that passed through a few years ago.
There is always a great mix of people walking around so even if you arent an 'art person' youll enjoy the people watching. Where else can you visit a big city art collection (complete with snooty gift shop ladies) in your backyard?
The AK is a total gem. It's a gorgeous setting for modern art. I have been here for numerous exhibits and conferences. There is something very soothing and intellectual in attending a legalish conference, walking out of the auditorium and meditating on a Richard Serra sculpture. I'm no erudite art critic by any means, but the AK has something for every one (other than the Matthew Barney shit, which Must Be Destroyed, IMHO).
A truly fabulous collection and if you haven't been there, get there NOW!
The collection is the kind of collection you'd expect from a big city gallery. One of the best modern art collections in the world, and it's right here. Granted, most of it's not on display (as the classic masterworks the gallery does have are always on display)
The gallery needs more space, there's so much art in its collection.
The free friday nights at the gallery are amazing. There's always something going on, often times with kid-friendly activities, and best of all you an see the collection for free.
It's an outstanding gallery that gets outstanding shows. If you're from out of town visiting Buffalo, this place is a must see.
It's a little expensive on the weekdays, but it's free on Fridays. I went about two weeks ago and it wasn't crowded at all. It's a cute little place to walk around with a date. The exhibits are only on one floor. There's also a cute restaurant called Muse in the Museum. HA, i get it now. It's owned by the same person who opened Sole and Le Metro. So, must be good.
Love this museum, can't wait to visit again over the holidays!
