Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University

I purchased a pack of cards of things to do in Indiana. This card lead us to the museum in Bloomington.The museum was much bigger than we thought it would be. It was very well presented. We took a small one hour tour that highlighted 3 works of art. It was lead by a student. The pace could have been quicker and more areas highlighted, but it was interesting non the less.

As you tour the museum, it's hard to realize that we're not in New York or Los Angeles. This tremendous museum is in Bloomington Indiana and I'm just blown away. Oh, and it's FREE.African and Asian art, which isn't my style but still pretty awesome to look at. I found the impressionist exhibit and really enjoyed it. There is some beautiful art and I really wish that they had prints of this for sale. I found Alice Schille's (1869-1955) "Constantinople: The Mosque of Sultan Ahmet" to be lovely and also Oscar Bluemner's (1867-1938) "Impression of a Silktown, New Jersey". The Paul Klee (1879-1940) "With Two Dromedaries and 1 Donkey" was an unexpected find.Another exhibit with Barbara Hepworth, several Pablo Picasso paintings and portraits (WHAT!?!), Max Weber, Fernand Leger, Albert Bierstadt, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (yes, THAT Renoir), Claude Monet, Henri Matisse. Yes, all of this is BLOOMINGTON INDIANA.The "Written in Memory: Portraits of the Holocaust" is important and I did try to tour some of it but the pictures and memories are a bit to realistic for me in this day and age (and especially following the events of October 7 2023). Still, great to see this on display here and I hope it helps bring some attention to why it can never happen again.I've put all my pictures in a Dropbox if you're interested: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/w4snr78hwo01j2h8awv64/h?rlkey=endgs7977brxxk88i8iwa59c1&dl=0[Review 20570 overall - 107 in Indiana - 1551 of 2023.]

I noted the name "Eskenazi" sounds an awful lot like Ashkenazi, and when I arrived I found there was a noticeably European Jewish focus in some of the early exhibits. The perspectives on WWII and earlier history are thought-provoking and complex. However, the architectural magnificence and the global scope of the remaining exhibitions blew away any expectations I could have had for the place, speaking as someone who has visited an awful lot of art museums and a lot of universities. When I see how earlier reviewers reached different conclusions than mine, I think they must have been before what seems to be a major renovation to the place, or they had poor service experiences. I received greetings from unobtrusive volunteers with shirts asking how they could help, but little else distracted me from my viewing. I was there well over an hour and was running out of steam by the end; I saw other people consider going to the top floor only to give up and quit. It is quite a museum.The European historical portion offers a diverse array of perspectives that intrigued me more than most exhibits from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance do. Their temporary exhibition was really spectacular: a collection devoted to non-photographic techniques for using light to imprint images on object; sort of primitive ur-photography. I had not heard of this concept, but I hope I see more of it elsewhere. The two floors of global exhibitions went way beyond what anyone could reasonably expect. Sure the Roman, Greek, and Egyptian pieces are there, but so too are some from the largely forgotten Northern Europeans who ultimately felled the Roman empire. The collection of art from various Islands in Oceania was visually arresting and an intriguing window into a part of the world little considered in the U.S. I've seen exhibitions in Australia, and this wasn't a whole lot less impressive, to say nothing of their survey of Native American and sub-Saharan African cultures using various historical artifacts. The more contemporary photography on the other side of the massive atrium didn't wow me, but I was running out of gas at that point.Of course, the collection isn't uniformly good (art is subjective), and the captions make dubious claims sometimes, but overall the curation was thought-provoking without being obtrusive (I note that a part of the building was devoted to academic study of museum curation). And perhaps just as importantly, while I was greeted on occasion, there was no security check, no mandates more restrictive than a sensible bag size limit, and no charge.

Fun and interesting.I'm a gal who loves to spend an afternoon in a museum. And ever since the Speed Museum in Louisville hosted a Picasso to Pollack exhibit with many items on loan from the Eskenazi during their renovation....I knew a visit to the IU museum was inevitable. On a recent midweek trip to Bloomington, when my friend suggested that we pay the Eskenazi a visit, I eagerly agreed.Our visit was during the school year, so there were a lot of students around and parking was an adventure. Full lots, a bit pricy (but the museum is free, so it doesn't hurt the wallet too much), and masses of people walking just about everywhere except in designated walking areas. So keep alert!As for the museum...again, it is free to visit. They have an exciting modern collection (that is, if you like modern and contemporary art). And on this occasion, they had a wonderful special exhibit! Notable film costumes from the roles of Glenn Close! Close donated her costume collection to IU Bloomington, and this exhibit featured a wide range of her most recognizable character pieces, including from Dangerous Liaisons and, of course, 101 Dalmatians. I didn't know about this exhibit prior to our visit, but I absolutely loved it!The museum has a large collection of African art and artifacts as well.Truly something for everyone!And once again, like the Tardis, it is bigger on the inside than I expected!Absolutely worth a visit when you are in town!

After a long closure for renovations the museum is reopen! I had a chance to visit about a week ago on a Sunday, and we were greeted by a friendly person who oriented us to what was on each floor and offered to answer any questions we had before we started to explore. Admission is free! We headed to the top floor which features art of Africa, Oceana, and Indigenous Art of the Americas. The exhibit was really nicely done, and the collection was impressive. For fun, we stopped off at a temporary exhibit on the first floor that had an impressive collection of Glenn Close's costumes from various movies as well as dresses from award shows. I definitely want to come back to see the other exhibits. I'd suggest allowing 2-3 hours if you want to really see everything at a pace that allows for actually looking at everything vs. a more gallery-skimming/sampling pace if that makes sense.... Anyway, definitely don't miss this if you're visiting the IU Bloomington campus! Yes, they are allowing visitors on campus at this time, but don't forget your mask; they are required in all buildings.

Found this review in my draft folder, so definitely check their hours online during this time before making the trip. This is a gem in Bloomington and important for the state of Indiana. The Pei designed building is a sight to behold in person. I was impressed with the depth of each gallery and the amount of information next to the pieces. In some cases, the provided information tied the piece to Indiana history.The gift shop is limited. Make sure to check their website for parking options. Highly recommend.

This is a real gem. A very impressive collection and free admission too. A great way to spend an afternoon.

Due to time constraints, I only visited the Western Art gallery on the main floor. Admission was free and I didn't need a ticket to enter the gallery. Because the weather was nice, I didn't run into any problems with carrying a garment as some of the other reviews have noted. What I did notice was a gallery that was arranged in a chronological order (starting on the right side of the space.) From Medieval to contemporary, there was representative art on display throughout the time span. Some of the pieces were recognizable to my limited art experience. Many of the names were familiar even if the pieces were not. And lots of other pieces that made me appreciate the difficulty of executing the art with relatively primitive tools or scratching my head while trying to figure out what the artist could possibly be thinking. As with most museums, there are plenty of pieces not on display, so it tends to be the rotating exhibits that bring me back. Unfortunately, the gallery designed for that purpose was in the process of being set up, so was off limits. There was security on hand, but I had no problem with that. I asked a few questions and found the staff very cordial and helpful. Be aware that the information desk can validate your IU Memorial Parking for a 50% discount. I wish I had known that before leaving.Review #231

It's first rate in just about every regard -- from the collections to the I.M. Pei architecture. The last time I was here I noticed a few pieces borrowed from the Getty collection. I take it as a sign of a professional museum, honestly. It's been a few years since my last visit, but when I was there, the temporary exhibit was of African barber shop signs. It was really fascinating, and frankly unexpected. And the museum's FREE. No complaining about that.

I guess I will never know what the museum is like since there is absolutely no parking close to the museum and we have mobility issues. It's a shame in this day and age that they don't even bother to include everyone in a museum.