Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
"The Walker" is a singular cultural institution, growing out of the private art collection of timber baron Thomas Barlow Walker. Initially his painting collection emphasized Hudson River School landscapes, but eventually the Walker came to be known for a sophisticated presentation of Modernism, in art and design. In addition to advanced exhibitions under director Harvey Arneson and spectacular shows under Martin and Mildred Friedman, The Walker provided a site for Guthrie Theater, and begat the Center Opera Company.
Walker's collection was initially housed in his home, and then moved to a second-floor gallery at 7th and Hennepin. In 1928, he opened a much larger gallery on the present site at Lyndale-Hennepin and Vineland Place. Its exotic, Byzantinesque exterior was modernized in 1940. The building was torn down in 1968, replaced on site by a brilliant new museum designed by Edward L. Barnes, which opened in 1971. The adjacent sculpture garden opened in 1988, and was later doubled in size.
The Walker came to national prominence with its 1941 and 1947 Idea Houses, which predated a better-known version at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Right after the war ended, the Walker instituted an Everyday Art Gallery to introduce people to the potentials of postwar modernism. From the 1950s into the 1980s, Many Walker exhibitions were national cultural events. The big addition that looks like crinkled tinfoil opened in 2005.
To visit the Walker Art Museum's website click HERE
To visit the Minneapolis Sculpture Gardens click HERE