Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

I would recommend the Kemper. We were in Kansas City to run a marathon. Our party consisted of a nephew, a niece, and the niece's husband -- these are all adults my age, which is to say they are already retired. We then were joined by a friend of the nephew's and mine, with whom we have run other races. Beforehand, we wanted to take in the culture of the area. The others had researched it; the niece's husband had grown up in the KC suburbs. They selected the Kemper. We are all interested in art. The niece is an avid amateur, producing works in many media. The Kemper has two wings on one floor, with a restaurant that contains additional works. Admission is free, with a requested donation, and because it is the proper thing to do we chipped in, not that one ought to be bragging about one's own virtues, and this was too modest to be the subject of a boast anyway. The receptionist, if that is the proper word, was friendly and informative. She offered quite a bit of background, which she must have to repeat throughout the day, and it did not sound at all as if it were scripted. People who have the responsibility to greet guests should all be like that. Whether by selection or training, that was someone suited to the role. She was the the only individual there who was gregarious. One of the guards is also a jazz musician, and I consider it a bonus to chat with someone who is working and to learn a bit about a subject in which I already have interest, an American genre that thrives in the metropolitan area. I regret I passed up the opportunity to talk to the artist in residence. He looked too busy though. They said you could engage him. I took a few photos. That guy was in the cafe, on scaffolding. I would say that a highlight not to be missed are the canvases there, in Cafe Sebastienne, which you can look at even if you are not dining in the facility. We were there early. The service had not yet started, so we were not disturbing folks. There are 100 pieces by Frederick James Brown, who passed away only in 2012, portraits, apparently in styles paying homage to others, eclectic, talented, and a massive undertaking.I know nothing. I took an art history course in college, a single three credits worth of summer evenings. I was pleased, albeit not too much so for that would make one insufferable, to recognize a Hung Liu and an Alice Neel, having seen major retrospectives of those two contemporary painters. The other items, including sculptures outdoors, were interesting, worth engaging with.

Nice suprise and displaying original works of new artists. I didn't expect this museum to be here as I was enroute to the Nelson-Atkins, but I'm glad I stopped.They have a nice cafe, the Sebastien, that offers a wide variety of entrees from a seasonal menu under good light and in view of some 110 pieces from Frederick James Brown, or sit beneath the enclosed courtyard.Also worth mentioning is an interactive space where you can complete a trivia about the museum's history and works, and play various videos from the various artists who have worked with the Kemper Museum and have had their works shown in its space.This month Lucia Vidales shows her exhibition Hambre, the primary work is shown in the main hall and is amazing. It is her take on the Last Supper and shares the importance of meals and gatherings in the Mexican culture.Just as amazing were the works from the Infinite Regress exhibit, which ties the inspiration for new works with that of older works.It was a great spot to spend some time and there was plenty of interactivity here.

I always enjoy a visit to the Kemper when I am in town. The folks at the main desk are always so friendly and willing to chat. They have a super cute gift shop, too, reasonably priced. A birthday card, ruler, and 2 stickers ran me less than $20! Their most recent exhibition, Infinite Regress, is quite thought provoking and I thoroughly enjoyed its explorations of a more mystical abstraction. It's small, you don't need much time, perhaps an hour. But it is an hour well spent!

Kansas City is also known for its brilliant and curious museums. So I spent most of my day treasure hunting and empowered to wonder around with inquisitive thoughts at theKemper Museum of Contemporary work.Thoroughly enjoyed Afghanistan/Canadian Artist Hangama Amiri and Indian Artist Spandita Malik artwork. Appreciate learning about these culture. I also enjoyed exploring the cafe where I devoured some yummy crabs eggs Benedict and a stiff mimosas. There is something just elegant about dining at a museum's cafe.By the way to get into the museum was free and so worth it.

i never realized they had a restaurant inside this museum! i got the shrimp dish it was really different, not bad at all i liked it but indeed different mix of flavors haha. the popover benedict in my opinion was flavorless and i was not a fan. i loved all the art inside of the restaurant though really good conversation pieces!

I've heard that KC had a large art presence, but this museum was top notch for this area. It's fairly small, but the art information ide is great. The amount of famous artists and just the range of art that they have here is incredible!!I wish I would've done a bit more research before we went because they have an exquisite restaurant inside, but they are by reservation only from what the signs read when we visited. They had some great exhibits and again, à mazout housed art. This is a must see if you're in town or if you're a local, a great spot to spend an afternoon!

The Kemper is another bright spot in KC's art museum scene. The permanent collection is always beautiful - and growing. The rotating exhibits bring exposure to great national and international artists. I love being able to visit here and see such a wide variety of pieces in such a short time (you can see all the galleries in about an hour). The cafe has a great, eclectic menu and the gift shop offers a fun selection of unique gifts.

The Kemper museum is small, but it has some good exhibits! Can't beat free admission and parking.

It was my second time visiting the Kemper Museum. Both visits were great. The museum is a bit small but the art pieces are amazing, I was pretty impressed. It's free admission and parking is also free.

Excellent contemporary art museum.If you like modern art and you are in Kansas City, highly recommend a visit.