Press Releases
Rarely Seen Asian Textiles On View at Nelson-Atkins
For the first time in decades, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City will display precious, rarely seen Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Persian, and Turkish costumes and textiles. Weaving Splendor: Treasures of Asian Textiles opens Sept. 25 and runs through March 6, 2022. Made with fine materials, exemplary techniques, and artistry, Asian luxury textiles were treasured locally and were central to global trade. The sumptuous textiles in this exhibition conveyed the identities, status, and taste of both local and international patrons and consumers.
Nelson-Atkins Announces New Strategic Plan, New Board Leadership
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees has approved a series of new measures that underscore the commitment to the art in its care and to staff, volunteers, and the community. First and foremost, the Board has adopted a new Strategic Plan that integrates inclusion, diversity, equity, and access into the overall approach to the museum’s mission. Also, the museum announced an updated Board of Trustees roster that includes five new members, as well as new Board leadership beginning in May 2022.
Second Coffee, Chocolate Pairing Released in Art-Inspired Series
Bold, dramatic flavors characterize the second product launch of coffee and chocolate inspired by an iconic work of art in the collection of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Caravaggio’s Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness represents the artist’s mature style in a monumental work that was painted toward the end of his career. To complement this masterpiece, The Roasterie created The Wilderness Blend, a medium roast coffee with notes of brown spice, finishing with a hint of orange blossom. As a complement to the brew, André’s Confiserie Suisse crafted a deep, rich blend of dark chocolate infused with bold flavors of brown spices blended with Swiss Alpine salt.
New Exhibition Explores Beginnings of the Nelson-Atkins
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City opened its doors in 1933, but the collection was beginning to be built at a frantic pace three years prior. The new exhibition, Origins: Collecting to Create the Nelson-Atkins, explores the very beginnings of the collection as well as the people who made choices about what types of art to collect, the challenges and opportunities of acquiring art during the Great Depression, and the vast diversity of the museum’s first objects.
War and Suffering Opens July 19 at Nelson-Atkins
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is mounting a small installation of works that deepen the conversation around war and genocide through its collection. War and Suffering: Artists Respond 1914-1945, running concurrently with the important historical exhibition Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away, on view at Union Station through January 2022, contains 23 works that provide a view into the human and emotional toll extracted by these tragic world events as experienced by American and European artists.
Nelson-Atkins Partners with Rockhurst University on Devotional Installation
A new installation at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City features special loans from Rockhurst University. Objects of Devotion: Highlights from Rockhurst University’s Van Ackeren Collection of Religious Art offers a glimpse into the hopes and fears of the people who used these types of objects for worship hundreds of years ago.
Castles, Cottages, and Crime Opens July 10 at Nelson-Atkins
A whimsical exhibition celebrating a unique period in the British Victorian decorative arts will be on view at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City from July 10 to March 6, 2022.
Van Gogh Alive Comes to Life at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City
Starlight and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art will partner to bring the world’s most visited multisensory experience celebrating the world’s most famous artist, Van Gogh Alive, beginning in October.
Testimony First in KC Art Now Series
A powerful new exhibition highlighting work by the African American Artists Collective in Kansas City opens June 5, 2021 through March 27, 2022 at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the first exhibition in a series designed to spotlight local artists.
Nelson-Atkins Mourns Death of Estelle Sosland
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art joins the Kansas City community in mourning the loss of Estelle Sosland, who died Friday, April 16. She and her late husband, Morton Sosland, were pivotal supporters and benefactors, demonstrating a passionate commitment to the Nelson-Atkins.
Nelson-Atkins Announces Vibrant Line-up of Exhibitions
During the months of upheaval caused by the pandemic, when the art world shifted away from traveling exhibitions and international loans, curators at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art used the time to look deeply at the museum’s collection of more than 42,000 works of art.
Nelson-Atkins Debuts Tivoli Under the Stars
A new Friday-evening outdoor cinema will soon be available for movie-lovers of all ages. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art debuts Tivoli Under the Stars on Friday, May 7 for 23 weeks, with the final film shown on Friday, Oct 8.
Art Course Reopens at Nelson-Atkins March 19
The popular art-themed miniature golf course that is nestled into the trees on the south lawn is set to reopen. For the safety of guests, the capacity of the outdoor experience will be reduced by 50% and enhanced sanitation will be added for shared equipment.
Nelson-Atkins Begins Serial Release of French Paintings Catalogue
A 12-year scholarly project involving curators, conservators, scientists, and independent scholars at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City culminates with the launch of a digital catalogue of the museum’s French paintings and pastels.
Water Lilies Painting Focus of Immersive Experience at Nelson-Atkins
The beloved painting that has been the centerpiece for the Bloch Galleries at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, will be moved to a dedicated gallery for an exciting, immersive exhibition, Monet Water Lilies: From Dawn to Dusk, opening Feb. 12.