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Portland Museum Of Art
100% Local7 Congress Square
Portland , ME 04101 (view map)
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Memorial Day–Columbus Day: Open Mondays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed on the Following Holidays
New Year’s Day (January 1)
Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in Novembe
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Welcome to the Portland Museum of Art!
I invite you to discover all we have to offer at the Portland Museum of Art. As the largest and oldest art museum in the state of Maine, the Museum serves as a vital cultural resource for all who visit. The Museum's collection of more than 17,000 objects is housed in three historic and remarkable buildings showcasing three centuries of art and architecture. Whether this is your first visit or 131st, our changing exhibitions and permanent collection offer you a diverse selection of fine and decorative arts to view.
This winter, don't miss the first major survey of paintings by the MacArthur Foundation "genius" award-winning artist Rackstraw Downes (born 1939) in the first major survey of his work Rackstraw Downes: Onsite Paintings, 1972-2008 (through March 20). With more than 30 works, many of them multiple-part canvases, this exhibition features his minutely detailed paintings of exterior and interior panoramic scenes of the American landscapes and urban areas. The exhibition traces the artist's career through major examples of his work that were painted in Maine, Texas, New Jeresy, and New York.
We invite you to our latest photography exhibition Weston: Leaves of Grass (through March 13). In early 1941, Edward Weston was approached by the Limited Editions Club of New York and invited to make photographs to illustrate its deluxe edition of Walt Whitman's epic poemLeaves of Grass. This exhibition of 53 photographs by Weston follows the route of his cross-country trip for this project. The Whitman photographs, mostly made with a large 8x10 format camera, are exceptionally wide-ranging with particular emphasis on the man-altered landscape rather than images of untouched nature.
Don't forget to take in a film at the Movies at the Museum program. Every weekend we will showcase alternative, foreign, or classic films. Experience the art of film!
All of these extraordinary exhibitions are explored in greater detail through art classes, music, lectures, and much more.
Mark Bessire
Director
| Rackstraw Downes: Onsite Paintings, 1972-2008 December 16, 2010 - March 20, 2011 This is the first major survey of paintings by the MacArthur Foundation “genius” award-winning artist Rackstraw Downes (born 1939). With more than 30 works, many of them multiple-part canvases, the exhibition features his minutely detailed paintings of exterior and interior panoramic scenes of the American landscape and urban locations. The exhibition traces the artist’s career through major examples of his work that were painted in Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Texas, including a haunting depiction of the untenanted interior spaces in the World Trade Center in 1998. |  Rackstraw Downes, Farm Buildings Near the Rio Grande: West End of the Barn, P.M., 2008, 24 x 62 inches. Courtesy the Artist and Betty Cuningham Gallery, New York.  Rackstraw Downes, At the Confluence of Two Ditches Bordering a Field with Four Radio Towers, 1995, 48 x 46 inches. Private Collection. |
| Weston: Leaves of Grass December 30, 2010 - March 13, 2011 In early 1941, Edward Weston was approached by the Limited Editions Club of New York and invited to make photographs to illustrate its deluxe edition of Walt Whitman’s epic poem Leaves of Grass. Although he balked at the suggestion, the opportunity the project offered to travel cross-country and visit parts of the U.S. that were new to him convinced Weston to undertake it. This exhibition of 53 photographs by Weston follows the route of his cross-country trip. The Whitman photographs, mostly made with a large 8x10 format camera, are exceptionally wide-ranging with particular emphasis on the man-altered landscape rather than images of untouched nature. The exhibition will feature images from the West, the South, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England, including two images from Maine. |  Edward Weston (United States, 1886–1958),Tree, near Nashville, Tennessee, 1941. Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  Edward Weston (United States, 1886–1958),Wedding Cake House, Kennebunkport, Maine, 1941. Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
| The Lay of the Land: A Celebration of Art Acquired by the Friends of the Collection (1983-2010) January 15, 2011 - May 8, 2011 The Friends of the Collection was established in 1983 when the Museum opened the Charles Shipman Payson Building in order to enrich the permanent collection. Featuring approximately 30 works, this exhibition focuses on the art acquired with the generosity of the Friends of the Collection. The exhibition features landscapes in particular and includes paintings, watercolors, and prints by a diverse group of artists such as Harrison Bird Brown, Charles Codman, John Calvin Stevens, Robert Henri, Will Barnet, and Waldo Peirce. Thanks to the Friends, the Museum has been able to acquire more than 160 works of art-a testament to how crucial the group has been and continues to be to the Museum. View Image Gallery |  John Calvin Stevens (United States, 1855–1940), Joe Pie Weed (Delano Park), 1908, oil on canvas, 14 1/16 x 18 1/16 inches, Portland Museum of Art, 1997.20. |
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