Walters Art Museum

600 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD

Phone: 410-547-9000 --
TTY:

Statement of Purpose

Henry Walters (1848 1931) bequeathed his art gallery and his collection of 22,000 works of art to his native city, "for the benefit of the public."

The Walters bequest is still considered among the greatest acts of cultural philanthropy in our nation's history.

William Walters (1819-94), Henry's father, had assembled a splendid collection of nineteenth-century art and Asian art, but under his son's auspices the collection was transformed into one of the finest of all American private collections. Henry Walters's interests were boundless, ranging over 5000 years, from ancient Egypt to art nouveau. Although now significantly expanded, the museum's strength and scope continue to reflect Mr. Walters's collecting genius and philanthropic spirit.

THE BUILDINGS

Henry Walters's original art gallery was built between l 904 and 1909 and was restored between 1985 and 1988. Modeled after Italian Renaissance and Baroque palace designs, its central court is a replica of the cortile of Genoa's Palazzo Balbi, designed in the 1630s by Bartolomeo Bianco. In 1974 a new wing was dedicated, which tripled the amount of public gallery space and provided excellent conservation facilities, an auditorium, classrooms, library, and curatorial offices. Hackerman House, (the historic Thomas-Jencks-Gladding House) a beautiful 1850 mansion, opened in 1991, providing magnificent galleries for Asian art. Its former garden was transformed into the Pavilion Cafe.

SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS

The Walters presents major exhibitions in its main floor exhibition galleries and smaller changing exhihitions thoughout the museum.

Highlights & Collections

PERMANENT COLLECTIONS of THE WALTERS

ANCIENT ART
Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, and Near Eastem art. Mummies, Greek and Roman statuary and vase paintings, temple reliefs, ancient jewelry and more.
MEDIEVAL ART
Early Christian, Byzantine, Migration Period, Islamic, Romanesque, Gothic and Late Gothic art provide an exciting view of the Middle Ages.
ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS and RARE BOOKS
One of the top three collections of illuminated manuscripts and rare books in the world featuring such rarities as The Assisi Missal.
HACKERMAN HOUSE, ASIAN ART COLLECTION of THE WALTERS
Over 1000 works of Chinese Japanese, Southeast Asian and Indian art in a beautifully renovated 1850 townhouse.
ARMS and ARMOR
Armor and weaponry ranging from prehistoric times to the 19th Century. Medieval armor, swords and daggers, crossbows, spears, and halberds, flintlocks and musket are all on view.
OLD MASTER PAINTINGS
Masterpieces by El Greco, Bernini, Raphael, Veronese, Pontormo, Van Dyck, Reni, Tiepolo, and many more on permanent display in beautiful renaissance and baroque galleries.
19TH CENTURY PAINTING, SCULPTURE and DECORATIVE ARTS
Paintings by Monet, Pissarro, Manet, Degas, Gerome, Daumier, Delacroix, and Corot and many others. Excellent collections of decorative arts including Sevres porcelains, carved ivories, Tiffany jeweky, Faberge eggs, and Maiolica.

The permanent collection spans 50 centuries of man's creativity in the arts - from ancient Egypt to Art Nouveau. Antiquity through 19th century: decorative arts, painting, sculpture, arms and armor, jewelry, ceramics, manuscripts.

Exhibits & Special Events

Courbet/Not Courbet on view Sept. 16, 2006–March 11, 2007

Courbet and the Modern Landscape on view Oct. 15, 2006–Jan. 7, 2007

Hours:

The Walters’ new hours are: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday.
The Pavilion at The Walters serves a variety of continental cuisine, light fare, and desserts. Lunch hours: Tues-Fri, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Sat/Sun, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Call 410-727-CAFE. 410-547-9000 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday) or 410-547-ARTS (24 hours)

Admission & Directions:

The Walters Art Museum is free to the general public.
The museum is located in the historic Mount Vernon district in downtown Baltimore, only ten blocks from the Inner Harbor.
A lighted parking lot, with parking attendant and security, is located directly across from The Walters at Centre and Cathedral Street. Other parking lots nearby include Peabody Garage at Centre and St. Paul Sts., and Franklin Street Parking at West Franklin Street.

Images.

View of an Ideal City
late 15th century, anonymous.

Donor with St. John the Baptist
by Hugo van der Goes, ca. 1475.

Portrait of Countess Livia da Porto Thiene and her daughter Porzia.
by Paolo Veronese, ca. 1550.

Madonna of the Candelabra.
by Raphael, ca. 1513-14.

The Annunciation
by Bicci di Lorenzo, ca. 1430.

Buddha (Sui or T'ang dynasty)
painted lacquer over wood.

Marchese Massimiliano Stampa
by Sofonisba Anguissola, 1557.

A Mourning Woman
Ercole de Roberti's, 15th century.

Roosters, Chicks and Morning Glories
by Watanabe Seiti (Meiji Period).

The Peachbloom Vase (1710-22)

Key Personnel:

Gary Vikan, Museum Director

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Walters Art Museum