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Des Moines Art Center
Categories: Museums, Restaurants, Art Schools [Edit]
4700 Grand AveDes Moines, IA 50312
(515) 277-4405
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
3 reviews for Des Moines Art Center
The Des Moines Art Center has a magnificent modern collection featuring the likes of Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, Roy Liechtenstein, Andy Warhol, Julian Schnabel and Frank Stella, to name a few.
The world class architecture is split into three structures done by renowned architects Eliel Saarinen, I.M. Pei and Richard Meier. The Saarinen building features paintings, sculptures and exhibitions. The Pei building largely includes modern sculpture and installations. The Meier building, which is roughly contemporaneous to his work on the High Museum in Atlanta and an antecedent to the Getty Center in LA, stores the majority of the collection in various mediums.
Sure, Francis Bacon's 'Study after Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X' and Edward Hopper's 'Automat' are the heavy hitters, but I also love Edvard Munch's 'Vampire' and Mario Merz's Fibonacci sequence installation. There is also a Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington and a Goya.
The newer pieces by Olafur Eliasson and Gerhard Richter are worthwhile. The best part is that DMAC is free to the public. The DMAC is my favorite place to spend an afternoon when in Des Moines.
Criminally overlooked. The DMAC is an amazing art museum, both in terms of their collection AND as a building. The focus of their collection is modern art, so if you're looking for marble statues and portraits of English nobility, this isn't your place. But if you appreciate nineteenth and twentieth century painting and sculpture, you're in for a treat. Not only do they have big names, they have *fantastic, career-defining* work by the big names. Some of my favorites include Hopper's "Automat", Georgia O'Keeffe's "From the Lake Number One", and Francis Bacon's "Study after Velsquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X".
The architecture also deserves a big thumbs up. The original building was designed by Eliel Saarinen, with two additions, one by I. M. Pei and the second by Richard Meier. What is so cool is that each section has its own personality and there's really little attempt for each to blend into the other. I LOVE the Meier section, which is filled with little nooks and crannies which bring you up close and personal with the artwork.
Finally, there's a little restaurant which should not be missed. They serve fresh, funky seasonal dishes like Santa Fe Steak Salad and Ginger Lentil Soup.
Best of all, admission is FREE. Believe me, there is not a better free museum anywhere. What are you waiting for?
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Are you kidding? Only one review? This is the best lunch in town--only recently rivaled by Proof and Django. The menu changes every week--pastas, salads, sandwiches. Service has always been outstanding and the desserts are the best in Des Moines. It's best to go when you can sit outside by the fountain underneath the trees--doesn't get any better than excellent food in an exquisite setting.
Check out the museum while you're there--the collection is surprisingly good, but the star of the show is the architecture.
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