When the new Blanton Museum opens its doors in February 2006, it will at last have a facility worthy of its distinguished international collections, and Central Texas will finally have a major metropolitan museum to call its own. The Blanton is the only art museum in Austin with a permanent collection of substantial range and depth. Housed in a spectacular new building at the southern edge of The University of Texas at Austin, the museum will offer much larger gallery space, a convenient location, parking, and plans for a café, museum shop, and auditorium. With these additions as well as an outdoor public plaza, the Blanton will enter a new era of public access, welcoming and engaging visitors through a dynamic variety of art experiences.

The Blanton’s permanent collection of more than 17,000 works is recognized for its Old Master paintings, modern and contemporary American and Latin American art, and an encyclopedic collection of prints and drawings. The museum possesses some 300 European paintings, predominantly Italian Old Master, including works from the Suida-Manning Collection of Renaissance and Baroque art. The collection of American art traces the history of artistic achievement in the United States from the mid 19 th century to the present day, with particular breadth in painting and prints. The Blanton’s holdings in Latin American art comprise one of the oldest, largest, and most complete collections of modern and contemporary Latin American art in the country, and include works by many artists not represented elsewhere in U.S. collections. The museum’s 13,500 prints form the only comprehensive collection in Texas and one of the finest in the country.

The Blanton’s collections, programs, and temporary exhibitions will be presented in a brand-new 180,000-square-foot museum complex at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Congress Avenue. Designed by Kallmann McKinnell & Wood Architects, Inc., the complex will include the Mari and James A. Michener Gallery Building that will house the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions, which will open to the public in February 2006; the Education and Visitor Pavilion, featuring a café, museum shop, classrooms, and auditorium, which will open in late 2006/early 2007; and a public plaza and garden that will connect the two buildings, designed by internationally recognized landscape architect Peter Walker.

Encompassing state-of-the-art spaces for permanent and temporary exhibitions, the new Blanton will open with an installation that combines the riches of its Latin American and American collections and celebrates the common threads and diversity of works from North, South, and Central America. America/Americas will showcase 230 works by over 200 artists, spanning the late 19 th century to the present day. Also premiering to the Austin public will be the European galleries that will introduce one of the most significant presentations of European art in this country. Included in these treasures will be 180 Renaissance and Baroque paintings, one-third of which have never before been displayed, along with some 250 prints and drawings spanning the late 15 th century to the present day.

Not only will the Blanton open with a dazzling array of art works across all mediums and time periods, but it will also offer engaging programs featuring live music, film, wine tastings, artist talks, dance, and performance. In keeping with the spirit of the new Blanton and the museum’s desire to appeal to diverse audiences, there will be attentive greeters and gallery guides, audio- and guided-tours for all ages, and accessible labels and printed materials. In addition, the whole facility will be wireless and will have a special center for e-learning. The new Blanton Museum of Art will be nothing short of a cultural cornerstone for art lovers in Austin and worldwide.

Essay and photos courtesy of Blanton Museum of Art.