New Orleans Museum of Art, Art museum in City Park, New Orleans, United States.
The New Orleans Museum of Art stands in City Park at the end of Lelong Avenue, near the Carrollton and Esplanade intersection and the Canal Street–City Park streetcar terminus. Founded in 1911 as the Delgado Museum of Art, its building was partly designed by Benjamin Morgan Harrod. A three-level Wisner Education Wing was added on the left side in 1970–71, and a $23 million expansion and renovation opened in 1993.
Isaac Delgado, a sugar broker, wrote to the City Park Board at age 71 proposing a fireproof art museum; the board granted the site at the end of what became Lelong Avenue. The Isaac Delgado Museum of Art opened on December 11, 1911, with the building partly designed by former city chief engineer Benjamin Morgan Harrod. Delgado, ill, missed the opening and died on January 4, 1912. The Edward Wisner Foundation funded a three-level education wing in 1970-71, and a $23 million expansion and renovation opened in 1993.
The collection features works by French Impressionists such as Edgar Degas and Claude Monet alongside American artists like Georgia O'Keeffe, drawing visitors interested in these artistic movements. These holdings reflect the artistic connections that tie New Orleans to Europe and the broader American art world.
The museum sits in City Park and is easily accessible by public transit or car, with parking available on the grounds. Visitors should plan for at least two to three hours to explore the main galleries and the sculpture garden adequately.
The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden spreads across several acres with around 90 sculptures nestled among lagoons, bridges, and walking paths. The garden allows visitors to encounter artworks in an outdoor, green setting distinct from the indoor galleries.
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