The St. Louis Art Museum is located in Forest Park and contains one of the finest art collections in the United States. It features a wealth of different pieces from all over the world, ranging from renaissance portraits to Egyptian artifacts.
The St. Louis Art Museum is today housed in the Palace of Fine Arts building, one of two remaining structures left over from the 1904 World’s Fair. The building was designed by Cass Gilbert in the Beaux Arts style, with a grand facade similar to ancient Roman structures. The building is made even more grand by its setting–it sits atop a large hill in Forest Park, overlooking the Grand Basin below and dominating the view. Just in front of the museum stands a statue of Saint Louis IX, King of France, on horse back, looking over his city.
Once inside, your eyes are drawn upward because of the museum’s soaring ceilings. The first room is a large atrium, which houses a few large pieces of art, along with facilities to assist visitors. This floor is devoted mostly to European art. The museum has a good representation of many different styles of art, with a particular emphasis in German Expressionist art. The main floor (which is actually the second floor) also contains a small collection of ancient art, the museum’s Asian collection, as well as prints, drawings, and photographs. An adjacent wing–a recent addition to the museum–houses the contemporary art, as well as the museum’s exhibitions.
The museum also has an upper level (the third floor) and a lower level (the first floor). The third floor contains the museum’s American and Native American holdings, as well as small spaces devoted to Egyptian art, decorative arts and design, and new media. The first floor contains a variety of art, especially from different parts of the world. There are large areas featuring ancient American art, arts of the Pacific islands, African art, and Islamic art, we well as textiles, decorative arts and design, and arms and armor.
Perhaps the best part of the St. Louis Art Museum is the wide variety of its holdings–it might not have the volume of larger museums, but it contains a representative sample, at least, of art from many different cultures and time periods. This allows visitors to experience art and culture from around the globe, all in a manageable size–you could adequately see the St. Louis Art Museum in an afternoon. Yet, there is also enough there to hold your attention for long periods of time and to continue exploring on numerous visits. The museum also has rotating exhibits, which are interesting and well-curated.
A Living Scrapbook 