Speed Art Museum
Speed Art Museum, March 2016 | |
| Established | 1927 |
|---|---|
| Location | 2035 South 3rd Street Louisville, Kentucky 40208 |
| Coordinates | 38°13′4.3″N 85°45′39.3″W / 38.217861°N 85.760917°W |
| Type | Art |
| Website | speedmuseum.org |
The Speed Art Museum, originally known as the J.B. Speed Memorial Museum, now colloquially referred to as the Speed by locals, is the oldest and largest art museum in Kentucky. It was established in 1927 in Louisville, Kentucky, on Third Street next to the University of Louisville Belknap campus. It receives around 180,000 visits annually.
The museum offers visitors a variety of "art experiences" outside its collection and international exhibitions, including the Community Days, Family Days, the Art Sparks Interactive Family Gallery, and the popular late-night event, After Hours at the Speed. The Speed is home to a premier art house cinema.
The Speed houses ancient, classical, modern, and contemporary art from around the world. The focus of the collection is Western art, from antiquity to the present day. In particular, the museum holds significant collections of paintings from the Netherlands, France, and Italy, as well as important contemporary art and American decorative art. The Speed also holds meaningful works on paper, historical and contemporary Native American artworks, African artworks, and more.