About the Museum
The not-for-profit Des Moines Art Center engages diverse local and international audiences with the art of today through its museum and school, adding to the cultural record through collections, exhibitions, and programs.
The Permanent Collections of the Des Moines Art Center are comprised of 20th-and 21st- century works of modern and contemporary art. In addition, there are singular examples from other styles and cultures including the Renaissance, Impressionism, and post-Impressionism; and 18th- and 19th- century Japanese woodblock prints. The entire collection currently stands at over 5,000 works of art, including more than 4,000 works on paper. The Permanent Collections include a number of individual collections that have been established through donation of funds or bequests of artwork. These collections include the Irma and Julian Brody Collection, John C. Huseby Print Collection, Louise Noun Collection of Art by Women, Paul and Anastasia Polydoran Collection, and most notably the Nathan Emory Coffin Collection.
Photo: © Cameron Campbell
Read LessCollection Highlights
John Singer SargentPortraits de M.E.P. …et de Mlle. L.P. (Portraits of Edouard and Marie-Louise Pailleron), 1881
Edward HopperAutomat , 1927
Study After Velásquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X, 1953
El AnatsuiBasin, 2012-
Wangechi MutuWater Woman, 2017
