See the Oklahoma City Museum of Art

Oklahoma City Museum of Art

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is a premier destination for art lovers and enthusiasts in the heart of Oklahoma City. Housed in a beautifully historical building, the museum features a diverse and extensive collection of contemporary and classical art, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, and much more.

Whether you’re a seasoned art collector or simply interested in exploring new and exciting exhibitions, the OKCMOA is a destination you won’t want to miss.

How It All Started

The birth of this museum dates back to the early 1900s when the Oklahoma Art League was founded with the goal of spreading a love and appreciation for art in the city and establishing a permanent museum. Decades of fundraising efforts by the League’s members led to the establishment of the Oklahoma Art Center in 1945. In the late 1950s, a new building was constructed at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.

However, a division arose in the 1960s regarding the acquisition of modern art, which was eventually resolved in the late 1980s with the reformation of the museum. In the late 1990s, a Legacy Campaign was launched with the aim of raising funds for a new building, resulting in the construction of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art at its current location on the former site of the historic Centre Theater. Groundbreaking for the new building took place in April 2000.

Some of What You’ll Find at OKCMOA

The museum has now become a popular attraction, with over 125,000 visitors each year. This is due to the range of exhibitions the museum has to offer, which are organized by prestigious museums and collections from all around the world. The museum’s collection is vast and diverse, with highlights from North America, Europe, and Asia.

large stone building with windows that display a 55 foot tall yellow glass art piece

OKCMuseumOfArt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When you first walk in, you can’t miss the museum’s largest installation. At 55 feet tall stands The Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick Memorial Tower by Chihuly. You’ll see more of Chihuly’s works, as well as many photographs, prints, sculptures paintings, dating from 19th- and 20th-century European and American artists such as Gustave Courbet, Renoir, Georgia O’Keeffe, and many others.

In particular, the museum boasts a great collection of American art and postwar abstraction. However, what sets this museum apart from others is that it covers a period of five centuries- from the nineteenth century to the current twenty-first century. It is is famed with the world’s most prestigious art collections, including vast works of Dale Chihuly glassworks which are seen immediately at his work in the theater lobby which is the Waterford crystal chandelier.

There is also a definitive collection of Paul Reed’s Washington Color paintings. The Museum is highly dedicated to film, with a world-renowned repertory cinema that specializes in international, independent, and classic films. You can also find classes and art camps being offered to children of all ages by the Museum School.

Eat at Centre Bistro

Previously known as simply the “Museum Café”, Centre Bistro is the latest home of a fine eatery inside the museum as of October 2021. After your tour of the art museum, be ready with a full appetite to enjoy the French delicacy offered here. Headed by top chef, Michael Haddad with over 20 years of culinary experience, you’ll experience some of Oklahoma City’s most authentic French cuisine. You can check out the full menu here.