R. W. Norton Art Gallery, Art museum in Shreveport, Louisiana.

The R.W. Norton Art Gallery is a museum in Shreveport, Louisiana, holding more than 400 paintings and sculptures by over 100 artists, covering four centuries of American and European art. Its galleries display landscapes, portraits, Western scenes and still lifes, and the building stands on grounds planted as botanical gardens.

Richard Norton Jr. and his mother founded the R.W. Norton Art Foundation in 1946 following the discovery of the Rodessa Oil Field in northern Louisiana. The wealth generated from this discovery provided the means to build and open this collection to the public.

The collection emphasizes works by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, reflecting a deep interest in American Western art traditions. These pieces connect visitors to stories and images that shaped how people saw the frontier and the American West.

The museum offers free admission and is open Thursday through Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 PM, with the botanical gardens accessible Wednesday through Sunday from sunrise to sunset. Plan to spend a few hours walking between the galleries and outdoor garden areas at your own pace.

Beyond paintings, the museum holds antique dolls, firearms dated 1914, and a double elephant folio of Audubon's Birds of America. The Audubon plates were printed from engraved copper plates at life size, which is why the sheets are so large. Look for these objects in the display cases apart from the galleries.