Arthur M. Kraft (1922–1977) was an American painter , sculptor and muralist . A native of Kansas City , Kraft was a member of the expressionist movement.
129-646: Arthur Kraft's formal art training started with Saturday-morning classes at the Nelson Gallery of Art and by the age of 13 he was selling his work at local art fairs . Upon graduating from Southwest High School Kraft continued to pursue the arts at the Kansas City Art Institute and later at Yale University 's School of Fine Arts. After serving in the Army during World War II , he returned to Yale to finish his degree. While at Yale, he served as an art editor of
258-645: A Harvard fellow in China. The museum has one of the best collections of Chinese antique furniture in the country, including one of the celebrated group of glazed pottery luohans from Yixian (c. 1000). In addition to Chinese art, the collection includes pieces from Japan, including screen and scroll pieces by Kaihō Yūshō , Tawaraya Sōtatsu , Ikeno Taiga , and Shiokawa Bunrin. The collection of woodblock pieces numbers around 500 with works by Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige in it. The collection also includes sculpture, ceramics , and textile works. Most of
387-486: A massive EF-5 tornado killed 158 people and destroyed roughly one-third of the city of Joplin . The tornado caused an estimated $ 1–3 billion in damages, killed 159 people and injured more than a thousand. It was the first EF5 to hit the state since 1957 and the deadliest in the U.S. since 1947, making it the seventh deadliest tornado in American history and 27th deadliest in the world. St. Louis and its suburbs also have
516-603: A "wilderness" policy for the Forest Service. Their efforts bore fruit with the Wilderness Act of 1964 , which designated wilderness areas "where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by men, where man himself is a visitor and does not remain." This included second growth public forests like the Mark Twain National Forest . The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Missouri
645-644: A 2018 report by the Missouri Attorney General 's office, for the past 18 years, "African Americans, Hispanics and other people of color are disproportionately affected by stops, searches and arrests." The same report found that the biggest discrepancy was in 2017, when "black motorists were 85% more likely to be pulled over in traffic stops". In 2018 the USDA announced its plans to relocate Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA) to Kansas City. They have since decided on
774-408: A 55 percent increase in space and were finalized in 1999. Architect Steven Holl won an international competition in 1999 for the design of the addition. Holl's concept, conceived and realized with Design Partner Chris McVoy, was to build five glass pavilions to the east of the original building which they call lenses. The lenses top a 165,000-square-foot (15,300 m ) underground building known as
903-514: A dancer with Anna Pavlova 's Ballet Company under the name Paul Tchernikoff. Gardner eventually went back to graduate school, earning a master's in European history from George Washington University in 1928 and then enrolling in the doctoral program in art history at Harvard . In March 1932 the cautious Trustees of the Nelson Art Gallery, hesitant about naming a full-fledged Director, appointed
1032-587: A figure equaled only by its neighbor, Tennessee. Missouri is bounded by Iowa on the north; by Illinois , Kentucky , and Tennessee across the Mississippi River on the east; on the south by Arkansas ; and by Oklahoma , Kansas , and Nebraska (the last across the Missouri River) on the west. Whereas the northern and southern boundaries are straight lines, the Missouri Bootheel extends south between
1161-562: A glut of unskilled labor, driving wages down. Most Missouri farmers practiced subsistence farming before the American Civil War . The majority of those who held slaves had fewer than five each. Planters , defined by some historians as those holding 20 slaves or more, were concentrated in the counties known as " Little Dixie ", in the central part of the state along the Missouri River . The tensions over slavery chiefly had to do with
1290-507: A high school student. After two years at the University of Colorado he transferred to Harvard, where he studied with Langdon Warner . He also became fluent in Chinese. After graduating with a B.A. in 1930 Sickman traveled to China on a Harvard-Yenching scholarship. There he reconnected with Warner, who was by then in China, under assignment to buy art for the museum Trustees. Warner recommended to
1419-512: A history of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, High Ideals and Aspirations . The museum had four Directors before Julián Zugazagoitia's appointment in 2010; the first was Paul Gardner (1894–1972). A native of Massachusetts, Gardner graduated from MIT in 1917 with a degree in architecture. He served with distinction in WWI , after which he traveled in Europe and North Africa for a year. In about 1919 he became
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#17328557581801548-416: A history of experiencing particularly severe tornadoes, the most recent one of note being an EF4 that damaged Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on April 22, 2011. One of the worst tornadoes in American history struck St. Louis on May 27, 1896, killing at least 255 people and causing $ 10 million in damage (equivalent to $ 3.9 billion in 2009 or $ 5.54 billion in today's dollars). Missouri
1677-455: A major meatpacking center, as large cattle drives from Texas brought herds of cattle to Dodge City and other Kansas towns. There, the cattle were loaded onto trains destined for Kansas City, where they were butchered and distributed to the eastern markets. The first half of the 20th century was the height of Kansas City's prominence, and its downtown became a showcase for stylish Art Deco skyscrapers as construction boomed. In 1930, there
1806-472: A metal box". However, reviews of the new structure once completed have generally been raves: New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff gives this description: For the art world, the addition, known as the Bloch Building, should reaffirm that art and architecture can happily coexist. The rest of us can draw comfort from the fact that public works of our own day and age can equal or surpass
1935-758: A polar bear, a giraffe and several penguins and exemplifies his trademark use of color. Kraft's sculpture of three figures, entitled "Family," was dedicated at the Commerce Building in 1961, and was re-installed at the Executive Plaza Office Building at 720 Main in 1989. Nelson Gallery of Art The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City , Missouri , known for its encyclopedic collection of art from nearly every continent and culture, and especially for its extensive collection of Asian art . In 2007, Time magazine ranked
2064-490: A silver ball, facing inwards. The three unsigned polished bronze penguins dimensions are overall approximately 51 x 72 x 58 in. with the tallest penguin being approximately 51 x 30 x 33 in. (350 lbs.). The sculpture is currently on display at the Glendale Town Center Mall library entrance. In 1971, Kraft was admitted to the alcoholic ward of St. Joseph's State Mental Hospital No. 2. He stayed for five weeks and
2193-403: A single speech, to appeal to a greater number of listeners. In informal contexts respellings of the state's name, such as "Missour- ee " or "Missour- uh ", are occasionally used to distinguish pronunciations phonetically. There is no official state nickname. However, Missouri's unofficial nickname is the "Show Me State", which appears on its license plates . This phrase has several origins. One
2322-569: A small panel long attributed to the workshop of Hieronymus Bosch , was credited to the painter himself after forensic investigation of its underpainting. It was added to the ranks of only 25 authenticated Bosch paintings in the world. The Nelson-Atkins also has fine Late Gothic and Early Italian Renaissance paintings by Jacopo del Casentino ( The Presentation of Christ in the Temple ), Giovanni di Paolo and Workshop, Bernardo Daddi and Workshop, Lorenzo Monaco , Gherardo Starnina ( The Adoration of
2451-581: A specific location in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. With the addition of the KC Streetcar project and construction of the Sprint Center Arena, the downtown area in KC has attracted investment in new offices, hotels, and residential complexes. Both Kansas City and St. Louis are undergoing a rebirth in their downtown areas with the addition of the new Power & Light (KC) and Ballpark Village (STL) districts and
2580-505: A talk in February 2018, discussing and educating the audience on Palbo Picasso and his relationship with the arts of Africa and the world, as he bought African art from shady art dealers. The speakers included Julián Zugazagoitia, director and exhibition curator at Nelson Atkins, and art historian Peter Stepan who wrote a book on the subject. In 2009, the museum opened a suite of Native American art galleries, totaling 6,100 square feet, among
2709-690: A temporary state capital in St. Charles. In 1826, the capital was shifted to its permanent location of Jefferson City , also on the Missouri River. Originally the state's western border was a straight line, defined as the meridian passing through the Kawsmouth, the point where the Kansas River enters the Missouri River. The river has moved since this designation. This line is known as the Osage Boundary. In 1836
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#17328557581802838-516: A transfer of power to France on November 30, 1803, just three weeks before the cession to the United States. Part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase by the United States, Missouri earned the nickname Gateway to the West because it served as a significant departure point for expeditions and settlers heading to the West during the 19th century. St. Charles , just west of St. Louis, was the starting point and
2967-693: A variety of different cultures and tradition inside of the art world of the continent. These include a royal stool from the Asante people, a Standing Male Figure by a Hemba artist, a group of Kuba textiles , a Royal Beaded Throne created by a Bansoa artist in the Bamileke kingdom, a Female Mask ( Kifwebe ) by Songye artists, and a shrine figure carved by a Baga artist. The museum held an exhibit called 'Through African Eyes: The European in African Art, 1500–Present' from September 25, 2010 - January 9, 2011. It
3096-532: A variety of goods to traders for sale and trade with their Native American clients. The fur trade and associated businesses made St. Louis an early financial center and provided the wealth for some to build fine houses and import luxury items. Its location near the confluence of the Illinois River meant it also handled produce from the agricultural areas. River traffic and trade along the Mississippi were integral to
3225-488: A whole, is called the Camp Jackson Affair . These events sharpened the divisions within the state. Governor Jackson appointed Sterling Price , president of the convention on secession, as head of the new Missouri State Guard . In the face of Union General Lyon's rapid advance through the state, Jackson and Price were forced to flee the capital of Jefferson City on June 14, 1861. In Neosho, Missouri , Jackson called
3354-616: Is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States . Ranking 21st in land area , it borders Iowa to the north, Illinois , Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas to the south and Oklahoma , Kansas , and Nebraska to the west. In the south are the Ozarks , a forested highland, providing timber, minerals, and recreation. At 1.5 billion years old, the St. Francois Mountains are among
3483-708: Is a limestone sculpture of Thecla , the first female catholic martyr. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic , the museum made a virtual tour of their Queen Nefertari gallery with Julián Zugazagoitia acting as tour guide. The video was organized by the Nelson-Atkins, Pointe-à-Callière , and National Geographic Society . The exhibit is on Nefertari, called "The One For Whom The Sun Shines" by her husband Pharaoh Ramesses II , with 230 pieces of art on Nefertari and other woman of ancient Egypt. "It will be thrilling to have these ancient works of art in our midst, to imagine
3612-497: Is alternately influenced by air from the cold Arctic and the hot and humid Gulf of Mexico. Missouri's highest recorded temperature is 118 °F (48 °C) at Warsaw and Union on July 14, 1954, while the lowest recorded temperature is −40 °F (−40 °C) also at Warsaw on February 13, 1905. Located in Tornado Alley , Missouri also receives extreme weather in the form of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. On May 22, 2011,
3741-568: Is home to diverse flora and fauna , including several endemic species. There is a large amount of fresh water present due to the Mississippi River , Missouri River , Table Rock Lake and Lake of the Ozarks , with numerous smaller tributary rivers, streams, and lakes. North of the Missouri River, the state is primarily rolling hills of the Great Plains , whereas south of the Missouri River,
3870-438: Is popularly ascribed to a speech by Congressman Willard Vandiver in 1899, who declared that "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me." This is in keeping with the saying "I'm from Missouri", which means "I'm skeptical of the matter and not easily convinced." However, according to researchers,
3999-472: The 1904 election . He promoted what he called "the Missouri Idea", the concept of Missouri as a leader in public morality through popular control of law and strict enforcement. He successfully conducted antitrust prosecutions, ended free railroad passes for state officials, extended bribery statutes, improved election laws, required formal registration for lobbyists, made racetrack gambling illegal and enforced
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4128-655: The Allied Military Government in occupied Italy . Ethylene Jackson (1907–1993), Paul Gardner's executive secretary since 1933, became acting director in November 1942 when Gardner was commissioned a major in the United States Army. Besides her role as executive secretary to the Director, Jackson had served as curator of the decorative arts collection. Paul Gardner served as a Monuments Man in Europe, returning to
4257-494: The American Alliance of Museums ' Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal (NEPIP) . The museum is distinguished and widely celebrated for its extensive collection of Asian art, especially that of Imperial China, as well as pieces from Afghanistan , India , Iran , Indonesia , Korea , Pakistan , and other Southeast / South Asia . Most of it was purchased for the museum in the early 20th century by Laurence Sickman , then
4386-578: The Arikara , Mississippian , Algonquian , Plains , Lakota , Kiowa , Cheyenne , Chumash , Navajo , and Pueblo tribes. The Nelson Atkins has worked through the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act ( NAGPRA ) in collaboration with groups, tribes, and other forms of Native American communities to make to either repatriate or show Native American art in a cultural appropriate manner. Items that are claimed by an authority of
4515-493: The Great Depression , the worldwide art market was flooded with pieces for sale, but there were very few buyers. As such, the museum's buyers found a vast market open to them. The acquisitions grew quickly and within a short time, the Nelson-Atkins had one of the largest art collections in the country. One of the original components of the building was a re-creation of Nelson's oak paneled room from Oak Hall (and namesake of
4644-629: The Illinois Country. They came from colonial villages on the east side of the Mississippi River, where soils were becoming exhausted and there was insufficient river bottom land for the growing population. The early Missouri settlements included many enslaved Africans and Native Americans, and slave labor was central to both commercial agriculture and the fur trade. Sainte-Geneviève became a thriving agricultural center, producing enough surplus wheat, corn and tobacco to ship tons of grain annually downriver to Lower Louisiana for trade. Grain production in
4773-456: The Kansas City, Missouri area is a similar penguin sculpture entitled "Court of the Penguins" and is displayed at Kansas City's Country Club Plaza . The five-foot bronze sculptures, dedicated on October 10, 1979, were reproduced from miniatures that originally stood three to four inches tall. Kraft also designed a mosaic for the downtown Kansas City Public Library . The mural features a bold lion,
4902-605: The Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Americans from the Upland South rushed into the new Missouri Territory ; Missouri played a central role in the westward expansion of the United States. Missouri was admitted as a slave state as part of the Missouri Compromise of 1820 . As a border state , Missouri's role in the American Civil War was complex, and it was subject to rival governments, raids, and guerilla warfare. After
5031-581: The Missouri Rhineland . Outside the state's major cities, popular tourist destinations include the Lake of the Ozarks , Table Rock Lake and Branson . Some of the largest companies based in the state include Cerner , Express Scripts , Monsanto , Emerson Electric , Edward Jones , H&R Block , Wells Fargo Advisors , Centene Corporation , and O'Reilly Auto Parts . Well-known universities in Missouri include
5160-567: The Platte Purchase was added to the northwest corner of the state after purchase of the land from the native tribes, making the Missouri River the border north of the Kansas River. This addition increased the land area of what was already the largest state in the Union at the time (about 66,500 square miles (172,000 km ) to Virginia's 65,000 square miles, which then included West Virginia). In
5289-537: The St. Francis and the Mississippi rivers. The two largest rivers are the Mississippi (which defines the eastern boundary of the state) and the Missouri River (which flows from west to east through the state), essentially connecting the two largest metros of Kansas City and St. Louis. Although today it is usually considered part of the Midwest , Missouri was historically seen by many as a border state , chiefly because of
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5418-537: The St. Louis Arsenal . Alarmed at this action, and discovering the Confederate aid, General Nathaniel Lyon struck first, encircling the camp and forcing the state troops to surrender. Lyon directed his soldiers, largely non-English-speaking German immigrants , to march the prisoners through the streets, and this led to riot by pro-secession citizens. While it is disputed how it started, this riot led to violence and Union soldiers killed by St. Louis civilians. The event as
5547-401: The United States . In 1956 Kraft illustrated his longtime friend Lon Amick 's widely acclaimed book The Divine Journey: A Guide to Spiritual Understanding. The book was originally published in 1956 by Press of The Pilgrim, Kansas City, Missouri. And lithographed by Williams & Lawrence Lithographers also of Kansas City, Missouri. The first edition was limited to 1000 copies and each copy
5676-566: The University of Missouri , Saint Louis University , and Washington University in St. Louis . The state is named for the Missouri River , which was named after the indigenous Missouria , a Siouan-language tribe. French colonists adapted a form of the Illinois language -name for the people: Wimihsoorita . Their name means "One who has dugout canoes". The name Missouri has several different pronunciations even among its present-day inhabitants,
5805-474: The protests and riots that followed the shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer of Ferguson , which led Governor Jay Nixon to call out the Missouri National Guard . A grand jury declined to indict the officer, and the U.S. Department of Justice concluded, after careful investigation, that the police officer legitimately feared for his safety. However, in a separate investigation,
5934-565: The Bloch Addition. With works from the ancient world, this includes locations like: Egypt , Greece , Rome , and Near Eastern . The gallery opened in 2010, led by Robert Cohon as curator. Portraits of pharaohs and Egyptian queens like Sen-useret III , Ramses II , Nefert-iti , the Ptolemy Dynasty are the most notable in the Egyptian collection. Near Eastern works includes jewelry from
6063-545: The Bloch Building. It is named after the H&;R Block co-founder Henry W. Bloch . The Bloch building houses the museum's contemporary, African, photography, and special exhibitions galleries as well a new cafe, the museum's Spencer Art Reference Library , and the Isamu Noguchi Sculpture Court. The addition cost approximately $ 95 million and opened June 9, 2007. It was part of $ 200 million in renovations to
6192-595: The Civil War and the end of World War II, Missouri transitioned from a rural economy to a hybrid industrial-service-agricultural economy as the Midwest rapidly industrialized. The expansion of railroads to the West transformed Kansas City into a major transportation hub within the nation. The growth of the Texas cattle industry along with this increased rail infrastructure and the invention of the refrigerated boxcar also made Kansas City
6321-708: The Cleveland Museum of Art. The museum, which was locally referred to as the Nelson Art Gallery or simply the Nelson Gallery, was actually two museums until 1983 when it was formally named the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Previously the east wing was called the Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, while the west wing and lobby was called the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art. On the exterior of
6450-742: The Department of Justice also found that the Ferguson Police Department and the City of Ferguson relied on unconstitutional practices in order to balance the city's budget through racially motivated excessive fines and punishments, that the Ferguson police "had used excessive and dangerous force and had disproportionately targeted blacks," and that the municipal court "emphasized revenue over public safety, leading to routine breaches of citizens' constitutional guarantees of due process and equal protection under
6579-470: The Illinois Country was critical to the survival of Lower Louisiana and especially the city of New Orleans. St. Louis was founded on February 14, 1764, by French fur traders Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent , Pierre Laclède , and Auguste Chouteau . From 1764 to 1803, European control of the area west of the Mississippi to the northernmost part of the Missouri River basin, called Louisiana, was assumed by
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#17328557581806708-553: The J.C. Nichols Plaza on the north facade and contains 34 oculi to provide natural light into the parking garage below. The casting of The Thinker which occupied this space prior to the renovations has been relocated to south of the museum. In 2013, the combination of Steven Holl Architects and BNIM was selected to build a $ 100 million addition to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts that will be modeled somewhat on
6837-555: The Magi ), and Lorenzo di Credi . It has German and Austrian Expressionist paintings by Max Beckmann , Karl Hofer ( Record Player ), Emil Nolde , Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Oskar Kokoschka ( Pyramids of Egypt ). Nelson Atkins has worked with Nazi-era art pieces that are often made by Jewish , Romani , queer , or otherwise against the nazi ideal in the 1920-40s though mostly focuses on art made and owned by Jewish people. Many pieces were either destroyed, rescued , or sold for cheap. They work on researching pieces and working with
6966-586: The Mississippi River were part of the French province of Louisiana . To distinguish the settlements in the Middle Mississippi Valley from French settlements in the lower Mississippi Valley around New Orleans, French officials and inhabitants referred to the Middle Mississippi Valley as La Haute Louisiane, "The High Louisiana", or "Upper Louisiana". The first European settlers were mostly ethnic French Canadians , who created their first settlement in Missouri at present-day Ste. Genevieve , about 45 miles (72 km) south of St. Louis. They had migrated in about 1750 from
7095-400: The Missouri Partisan Rangers, such insurgencies also arose in portions of the Confederacy occupied by the Union during the Civil War. Historians have portrayed stories of the James brothers' outlaw years as an American "Robin Hood" myth. The vigilante activities of the Bald Knobbers of the Ozarks in the 1880s were an unofficial continuation of insurgent mentality long after the official end of
7224-521: The Missouri River lie the Northern Plains that stretch into Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. Here, rolling hills remain from the glaciation that once extended from the Canadian Shield to the Missouri River. Missouri has many large river bluffs along the Mississippi, Missouri, and Meramec Rivers . Southern Missouri rises to the Ozark Mountains , a dissected plateau surrounding the Precambrian igneous St. Francois Mountains . This region also hosts karst topography characterized by high limestone content with
7353-487: The Mormons from Missouri and confiscated their lands. Conflicts over slavery exacerbated border tensions among the states and territories. From 1838 to 1839, a border dispute with Iowa over the so-called Honey Lands resulted in both states' calling-up of militias along the border. With increasing migration, from the 1830s to the 1860s, Missouri's population almost doubled with every decade. Most newcomers were American-born, but many Irish and German immigrants arrived in
7482-557: The National Museum of the American Indian has praised Torrence's work by saying “The Nelson's collection reflects a combination of history, age, formal characteristics that play to modernist connoisseurship, and a notion of spirituality. Those are the kinds of things that Gaylord values.” The gallery includes work by Jamie Okuma , Roxanne Swentzell , Diego Romero , Joyce Growing Thunder Fogarty , Silver Horn and Butch Thunder Hawk. It also houses historical pieces like pottery , baskets , bead / quill / textile works, and paintings from
7611-417: The Nelson Gallery in 1959 as Curator of Painting and Sculpture. While a curator, Coe organized several large and well-attended special exhibitions. The most influential was "Sacred Circles", an exhibition of 900 Native American art objects. Organized to commemorate the American Bicentennial , the show opened at the Hayward Gallery in London, England, running from October 1976 to January 1977. Financial support
7740-418: The Nelson in December 1945. Ethylene Jackson left Kansas City for New York City the following year after marrying art dealer Germain Seligman . Upon Paul Gardner's retirement on May 1, 1953, Laurence Sickman (1907–1988) became the Gallery's second Director. He had been associated with the Gallery since 1931. Laurence Sickman, a native of Denver, Colorado, had become interested in Japanese and Chinese art as
7869-535: The Spanish as part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain , due to Treaty of Fontainebleau (in order to have Spain join with France in the war against England). The arrival of the Spanish in St. Louis was in September 1767. St. Louis became the center of a regional fur trade with Native American tribes that extended up the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, dominating the regional economy for decades. Trading partners of major firms shipped their furs from St. Louis by river down to New Orleans for export to Europe. They provided
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#17328557581807998-417: The Sunday-closing law. He helped enact Progressive legislation, including an initiative and referendum provision, regulation of elections, education, employment and child labor, railroads, food, business, and public utilities. Several efficiency-oriented examiner boards and commissions were established during Folk's administration, including many agricultural boards and the Missouri library commission. Between
8127-417: The Trustees that the young graduate student assume the responsibility of negotiating art purchases for the Gallery, as Warner was moving to Japan. Sickman's acumen as a collector earned him the respect of the Trustees, who sent him thousands of dollars with which to buy art. Since he was on a scholarship, his expertise cost the Trustees nothing. He made the 6,000-mile journey to Kansas City in December 1933 for
8256-458: The Trustees. On Laurence Sickman's retirement, Ralph Tracy "Ted" Coe (1929–2010) became the Gallery's third Director. Coe was a native of Cleveland, where his father, a steel manufacturer, was an art collector. The recipient of a bachelor's degree in art history from Oberlin College and a master's in architecture from Yale , he had worked at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. before coming to
8385-438: The United States and Communist China that Richard Nixon's 1972 trip to that country had begun. This was a professional and personal coup for Sickman: his reputation as a scholar and the collection he had built at the Nelson Gallery made Kansas City one of only four cities the exhibition would visit, after Paris, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. Laurence Sickman retired on January 31, 1977, and was named Director Emeritus and advisor to
8514-539: The West", "The Iron Mountain State", and "Pennsylvania of the West". It is also known as the "Cave State" because there are more than 7,300 recorded caves in the state (second to Tennessee ). Perry County is the county with the most caves and the single longest cave. The official state motto is "Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto", Latin for "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law." Archaeological excavations along river valleys have shown continuous habitation since about 9000 BCE. Beginning before 1000 CE ,
8643-434: The approaches to the Liberty Memorial and the Kansas governor 's mansion, Cedar Crest . Ground was broken in July 1930, and the museum opened December 11, 1933. The building's classical Beaux-Arts architecture style was modeled on the Cleveland Museum of Art . Thomas Wight, the brother who did most of the design work for the building said: We are building the museum on classic principles because they have been proved by
8772-412: The artworks in the museum's African collection were created by artists largely from West and Central Africa, primarily the countries of Mali , Cote d'Ivoire , Ghana , Nigeria , Cameroon , Gabon , and the Democratic Republic of the Congo . The Museum has a small collection from East and South Africa, including a mask carved by a Yao artist from Tanzania and beaded capes created by Zulu artists in
8901-410: The building Charles Keck created 23 limestone panels depicting the march of civilization from east to west including wagon trains heading west from Westport Landing . Grillwork in the doors depict oak leaf motifs in memory of Oak Hall. The south facade of the museum is an iconic structure in Kansas City that looms over a series of terraces onto Brush Creek . About the same time as the construction of
9030-441: The campus humor magazine The Yale Record . After winning the Audubon Artist Society national painting award in 1946, Kraft was propelled onto the national scene. Highly regarded in the artistic community, his art was exhibited in one-man showings at the Salon de Jean Cocteau, Paris , Jacques Seligmann & Company , New York , and the Landau Galleries, Los Angeles . Kraft's work was also installed in several locations across
9159-448: The centuries. A distinctly American principle appropriate for such a building may be developed, but, so far, everything of that kind is experimental. One doesn't experiment with two-and-a-half million dollars. When the original building opened, its final cost was $ 2.75 million (about $ 54 million in 2018). The dimensions of the six-story structure were 390 feet (120 m) long by 175 feet (53 m) wide, making it larger than
9288-418: The city for newer housing developed in the suburbs, often former farmland where land was available at lower prices. These major cities have gone through decades of readjustment to develop different economies and adjust to demographic changes. Suburban areas have developed separate job markets, both in knowledge industries and services, such as major retail malls. In 2014, Missouri received national attention for
9417-746: The country of South Africa . The Nelson-Atkins began collecting African art in the 1930s, with many notable acquisitions including two 17th-century cast brass objects from the Benin Kingdom in Nigeria in 1958. While the collection grew slowly until 1983, subsequent years saw more aggressive acquisitions. In 2012, African art gallery curator Nii Quarcoopome worked to add more content and ways for audiences to interact by including videos and photographs showing visitors how objects are used in ceremonies or everyday life. It includes 400 objects made from wood, brass, bead, terracotta, ivory and natural fibers. They have
9546-430: The deaths of his wife and daughter, the proceeds of his entire estate would go to purchasing artwork for public enjoyment. This bequest was augmented by additional funds from the estates of Nelson's daughter, son-in-law and attorney. In 1911, former schoolteacher Mary McAfee Atkins (1836–1911), widow of real estate speculator James Burris Atkins, bequeathed $ 300,000 to establish an art museum. Through sound management of
9675-502: The descendants of the owners or artists. Depending on the descendants’ wishes, the pieces are either returned or allowed to stay on display. One of the most famous nazi-era pieces is a still life, Les Boules de Neige, by Pierre Bonnard , which was held in the Altaussee salt mine and taken from the French banker David David-Weill . The museum has a list of their works held on their website and
9804-561: The early 1830s, Mormon migrants from northern states and Canada began settling near Independence and areas just north of there. Conflicts over religion and slavery arose between the 'old settlers' (mainly from the South) and the Mormons (mainly from the North). The Mormon War erupted in 1838. By 1839, with the help of an "Extermination Order" by Governor Lilburn Boggs , the old settlers forcibly expelled
9933-662: The early of kings and queens at Ur and sculptures from the 1st-millennium B.C.E. Palace of Ashurnasirpal II in Nimrud and the ceremonial center of the Persian Empire , Persepolis . Greek works are mostly statues and pottery from the 5th to 1st century B.C.E. of the Greek deities and heroes like Helios, Apollo, Demeter, Achilles, and Heracles. Roman statues of the emperors Alexander Severus and Hadrian , with other Roman works from early Christian period (4th to 7th century A.D ) among them
10062-453: The east bank of the Mississippi River and identified their settlements as being in le pays des Illinois, "the country of the Illinois". When settlers of French Canadian descent began crossing the Mississippi River to establish settlements such as Ste. Genevieve, they continued to identify their settlements as being in the Illinois Country. At the same time, the French settlements on both sides of
10191-429: The election of a special convention on secession. This convention voted against secession, but also qualified their support of the Union. In the aftermath of Battle of Fort Sumter Pro-Southern Governor Claiborne F. Jackson ordered the mobilization of several hundred members of the state militia who had gathered in a camp in St. Louis for training. In secret, he also requested Confederate arms and artillery to help take
10320-521: The estate and a booming economy , this amount grew to $ 700,000 by 1927. Original plans called for two art museums based on the separate bequests (with the Atkins Museum to be located in Penn Valley Park ). However, trustees of the two estates decided to combine the two bequests along with smaller bequests from others to make a single major art institution. The building was designed by prominent Kansas City architects Wight and Wight , who also designed
10449-458: The estate). The room contained Nelson's red plush easy chair and bookcases. The room was dismantled in 1988 to make way for a photography studio. One-third of the building on the first and second floors of the west wing were left unfinished when the building opened to allow for future expansion. Part was completed in 1941 to house Chinese painting and the remainder of the building was completed after World War II . In 1993 Michael Churchman wrote
10578-525: The face of a largely reinforced Union Army. Though regular Confederate troops staged some large-scale raids into Missouri, the fighting in the state for the next three years consisted chiefly of guerrilla warfare . "Citizen soldiers" or insurgents such as Captain William Quantrill , Frank and Jesse James , the Younger brothers , and William T. Anderson made use of quick, small-unit tactics. Pioneered by
10707-499: The formation of sinkholes and caves. The southeastern part of the state is known as the Missouri Bootheel region, which is part of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain or Mississippi embayment . This region is the lowest, flattest, warmest, and wettest part of the state. It is also among the poorest, as the economy there is mostly agricultural. It is also the most fertile, with cotton and rice crops predominant. The Bootheel
10836-421: The future of the state and nation. In 1860, enslaved African Americans made up less than 10% of the state's population of 1,182,012. In order to control the flooding of farmland and low-lying villages along the Mississippi, the state had completed construction of 140 miles (230 km) of levees along the river by 1860. After the secession of Southern states began in 1861, the Missouri legislature called for
10965-604: The graduate student as their assistant on a trial basis. Gardner took to the new position at once, and so was named by the Trustees as Director eighteen months later, on September 1, 1933. He would serve for the next twenty years. Gardiner served in the US Army during the Italian campaign of World War II in the rank of major . He was appointed head of the Fine Arts and Education Department of
11094-460: The grand achievements of past generations ... The result is a building that doesn't challenge the past so much as suggest an alternate world view that is in constant shift. Seen from the north plaza, the addition's main entrance gently defers to the old building, the crystalline form suggesting a ghostlike echo of the austere stone facade. From there, the eye is drawn to the distinct yet interconnected translucent blocks, which are partly buried in
11223-1035: The hands that created them and the importance these objects played in Egyptian culture. What a privilege to welcome objects from one of the most significant archaeological sites in Egypt – the Valley of the Queens ," said Julián Zugazagoitia The museum's European painting collection is highly prized. It includes works by Caravaggio , Jusepe de Ribera , Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin , Petrus Christus , Gustave Courbet , El Greco , Giambattista Pittoni , Guercino , Alessandro Magnasco , Giuseppe Bazzani , Corrado Giaquinto , Cavaliere d'Arpino , Gaspare Traversi , Giuliano Bugiardini , Titian , Hieronymus Bosch , Rembrandt , Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun , Peter Paul Rubens , Eugène Fromentin , Gustave Caillebotte , Edgar Degas , Paul Gauguin , Claude Monet , Camille Pissarro , Vincent van Gogh . In early 2016, The Temptation of St. Anthony ,
11352-413: The harmful ultraviolet rays that could damage the exhibited works. The custom glass planks were manufactured by Glasfabrik Lamberts and imported by Bendheim Wall Systems . Admission to the museum is free every day and visitors may use any of seven entrances to access the building. The main visitor's desk is in the Bloch Building. On the north side of the museum, a reflecting pool now occupies part of
11481-429: The institution of slavery . They settled predominantly in 17 counties along the Missouri River , in an area of flatlands that enabled plantation agriculture and became known as " Little Dixie ". The state was rocked by the 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes . Casualties were few due to the sparse population. In 1821, the former Missouri Territory was admitted as a slave state , under the Missouri Compromise , and with
11610-468: The landscape ... It's an approach that should be studied by anyone who sets out to design a museum from this point forward. The museum has gone against traditional conservatorial thinking in allowing natural light from the lenses to illuminate its art work. Most of the exhibits in the addition are below ground with the 27 to 34-foot (10 m) glass pavilions above them. Officials say that advances in glass technology have allowed them to block most of
11739-607: The largest such displays in a comprehensive art museum with 200 pieces on display on average. Gaylord Torrence, the curator at the time of the Native American department, was able to acquire a majority of items with donations from Morton Sosland and other people. He helped find works from thousands of years old to modern Native American artists. Torrence has since retired. He went on to write Continuum: Native North American Art at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. David Penney, associate director for museum research and scholarship at
11868-549: The late 1840s and 1850s. As a majority were Catholic , they set up their own religious institutions in the state, which had been mostly Protestant . Many settled in cities, creating a regional and then state network of Catholic churches and schools. 19th-century German immigrants created the wine industry along the Missouri River and the beer industry in St. Louis. While many German immigrants were strongly anti-slavery, many Irish immigrants living in cities were pro-slavery, fearing that liberating African-American slaves would create
11997-608: The law." A series of student protests at the University of Missouri against what the protesters viewed as poor response by the administration to racist incidents on campus began in September 2015. On June 7, 2017, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People issued a warning to prospective African-American travelers to Missouri. This is the first NAACP warning ever covering an entire state. According to
12126-439: The middle Mississippi and Ohio river valleys, extending into the southeast and the upper river. The land that became the state of Missouri was part of numerous different territories, possessed changing and often indeterminate borders, and had many different Native American and European names between the 1600s and statehood. For much of the first half of the 1700s, the west bank of the Mississippi River that would become Missouri
12255-463: The museum that included the Ford Learning Center which is home to classes, workshops, and resources for students and educators. It opened in fall of 2005. In the competition to design the addition, all the entrants except Holl proposed creating a modern addition on the north side of the museum which would have drastically altered or obscured the north facade which served as the main entrance to
12384-526: The museum's new Bloch Building number one on its list of "The 10 Best (New and Upcoming) Architectural Marvels" which considered candidates from around the globe. The museum is open five days a week: Monday from 10 am-5 pm, closed Tuesday and Wednesday, open Thursday 10-9, Friday 10-9, Saturday and Sunday 10-5. Admission is free. The museum was built on the grounds of Oak Hall, the home of Kansas City Star publisher William Rockhill Nelson (1841–1915). When he died in 1915, his will provided that upon
12513-471: The museum, Howard Vanderslice donated 8 acres (32,000 m ) to the west of the museum, across Oak Street, for the Kansas City Art Institute , which moved from the Deardorf Building at 11th and Main streets in downtown Kansas City. As William Nelson, the major contributor, donated money rather than a personal art collection, the curators were able to assemble a collection from scratch. At the height of
12642-404: The museum. Instead Holl and McVoy proposed placing the addition on the east side perpendicular to the main building. Their aim was to engage the museum's iconic sculpture garden to fuse the experience of art, architecture and landscape. Their lenses now cascade down the east perimeter of the grounds. During construction, Holl's plan met with considerable controversy. It was described as "grotesque,
12771-427: The musical genres ragtime , Kansas City jazz and St. Louis blues . The well-known Kansas City-style barbecue , and the lesser-known St. Louis-style barbecue , can be found across the state and beyond. Missouri is a major center of beer brewing and has some of the most permissive alcohol laws in the U.S. It is home to Anheuser-Busch , the world's largest beer producer, and produces Missouri wine , especially in
12900-400: The ninth century, built cities and mounds before declining in the 14th century. The Indigenous Osage and Missouria nations inhabited the area when European people arrived in the 17th century. The French incorporated the territory into Louisiana , founding Ste. Genevieve in 1735 and St. Louis in 1764. After a brief period of Spanish rule , the United States acquired Missouri as part of
13029-498: The oldest in the world. The Missouri River , after which the state is named, flows through the center and into the Mississippi River , which makes up the eastern border. With over six million residents, it is the 18th-most populous state of the country. The largest urban areas are St. Louis , Kansas City , Springfield , and Columbia . The capital is Jefferson City . Humans have inhabited present-day Missouri for at least 12,000 years. The Mississippian culture , which emerged in
13158-681: The opening of the Gallery, then returned to China. Returning once more to the United States, he was made the Gallery's Curator of Oriental Art in 1935. By 1941, Sickman's purchases of Chinese art had given the Nelson Gallery one of the best Asian collections in the United States. Sickman, like Paul Gardner, was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army as a member of the Monuments Men , serving from 1942 to 1945 in England, India, and China. In his absence, his very capable assistant, Miss Lindsay Hughes,
13287-491: The people of the Mississippian culture created regional political centers at present-day St. Louis and across the Mississippi River at Cahokia , near present-day Collinsville, Illinois . Their large cities included thousands of individual residences. Still, they are known for their surviving massive earthwork mounds , built for religious, political and social reasons, in platform , ridgetop and conical shapes. Cahokia
13416-399: The phrase "show me" was already in use before the 1890s. Another one states that it is a reference to Missouri miners who were taken to Leadville, Colorado to replace striking workers. Since the new miners were unfamiliar with the mining methods, they required frequent instruction. Other nicknames for Missouri include "The Lead State", "The Bullion State", "The Ozark State", "The Mother of
13545-561: The renovation of existing historical buildings in each downtown area. The 2019 announcement of an MLS expansion team in St. Louis is driving even more development in the downtown west area of St. Louis. Kansas City has experienced a boom in population, with new developments such as Three Light apartments being centered in Downtown Kansas City , as well as suburban development in the Northland . Missouri borders eight different states,
13674-597: The return destination of the Lewis and Clark Expedition , which ascended the Missouri River in 1804, to explore the western lands to the Pacific Ocean. For decades, St. Louis was a major supply point for parties of settlers heading west. As many of the early settlers in western Missouri migrated from the Upper South , they brought enslaved African Americans as agricultural laborers, and they desired to continue their culture and
13803-637: The settlement of migrants from the South and its status as a slave state before the Civil War, balanced by the influence of St. Louis. The counties that made up " Little Dixie " were those along the Missouri River in the center of the state, settled by Southern migrants who held the greatest concentration of slaves. In 2005, Missouri received 16,695,000 visitors to its national parks and other recreational areas totaling 101,000 acres (410 km ), giving it $ 7.41 million in annual revenues, 26.6% of its operating expenditures. North of, and in some cases just south of,
13932-491: The state and volunteer regiments for the Union Army. Fighting ensued between Union forces and a combined army of General Price's Missouri State Guard and Confederate troops from Arkansas and Texas under General Ben McCulloch . After winning victories at the battle of Wilson's Creek and the siege of Lexington, Missouri and suffering losses elsewhere, the Confederate forces retreated to Arkansas and later Marshall, Texas , in
14061-434: The state convention was reassembled with most of its members present, save twenty who fled south with Jackson's forces. The convention declared all offices vacant and installed Hamilton Gamble as the new governor of Missouri. President Lincoln's administration immediately recognized Gamble's government as the legal Missouri government. The federal government's decision enabled raising pro-Union militia forces for service within
14190-467: The state is dominated by the Oak-Hickory Central U.S. hardwood forest . Recreational and commercial uses of public forests, including grazing, logging, and mining, increased after World War II. Fishermen, hikers, campers, and others started lobbying to protect forest areas with a "wilderness character". During the 1930s and 1940s, Aldo Leopold , Arthur Carhart and Bob Marshall developed
14319-475: The state legislature into session to call for secession. However, the elected legislative body was split between pro-Union and pro-Confederate. As such, few of the pro-unionist attended the session called in Neosho, and the ordinance of secession was quickly adopted. The Confederacy recognized Missouri secession on October 30, 1861. With the elected governor absent from the capital and the legislators largely dispersed,
14448-451: The state's economy. As the area's first major city, St. Louis expanded greatly after the invention of the steamboat and the increased river trade. Napoleon Bonaparte had gained Louisiana for French ownership from Spain in 1800 under the Treaty of San Ildefonso after it had been a Spanish colony since 1762, but the treaty was kept secret. Louisiana remained nominally under Spanish control until
14577-626: The third syllable as / i / or / ə / . Any combination of these phonetic realizations may be observed coming from speakers of American English . In British received pronunciation , the preferred variant is / m ɪ ˈ z ʊər i / , with / m ɪ ˈ s ʊər i / being a possible alternative. Donald M. Lance, a professor of English at the University of Missouri , stated that no pronunciation could be declared correct, nor could any be clearly defined as native or outsider, rural or urban, southern or northern, educated or otherwise. Politicians often employ multiple pronunciations, even during
14706-741: The title, Through African Eyes , primarily obtains from this thinking. After all, what good is African art and history without the African voice? ". This exhibition has been organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts were the exhibit first appeared. With support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts . In Kansas City the exhibition is supported by The Helzberg Fund for African Art. The museum has also held
14835-652: The tribe are considered case by case, depending on the item's connection to a certain culture as well as what the Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs, the Director/CEO, and the Trustee Members of the Committee decide is best for the item's future. Most repatriated items are related to grave sites or other cultural ceremonies. Missouri Missouri ( / m ɪ ˈ z ʊər i / mih- ZOOR -ee )
14964-402: The two most common being / m ɪ ˈ z ɜːr i / mih- ZUR -ee and / m ɪ ˈ z ɜːr ə / mih- ZUR -ə . Further pronunciations also exist in Missouri or elsewhere in the United States, involving the realization of the medial consonant as either / z / or / s / ; the vowel in the second syllable as either / ɜːr / or / ʊər / ; and
15093-467: The war, and they are a favorite theme in Branson's self-image . The Progressive Era (1890s to 1920s) saw numerous prominent leaders from Missouri trying to end corruption and modernize politics, government, and society. Joseph "Holy Joe" Folk was a key leader who made a strong appeal to the middle class and rural evangelical Protestants. Folk was elected governor as a progressive reformer and Democrat in
15222-468: The war, both Greater St. Louis and the Kansas City metropolitan area became large centers of industrialization and business. Today the state is divided into 114 counties and the independent city of St. Louis. Missouri has been called the "Mother of the West", the "Cave State", and the "Show Me State". Its culture blends elements of the Midwestern and Southern United States . It is the birthplace of
15351-519: Was a diphtheria epidemic in the area around Springfield, which killed approximately 100 people. Serum was rushed to the area, and medical personnel stopped the epidemic. During the mid-1950s and 1960s, St. Louis and Kansas City suffered deindustrialization and loss of jobs in railroads and manufacturing, as did other Midwestern industrial cities. St. Charles claims to be the site of the first interstate highway project in 1956. Such highway construction made it easy for middle-class residents to leave
15480-699: Was a mural for the waiting room of the Veteran's Hospital in Topeka , which he finished just before he died. Since his death Kraft's legacy has continued to play a large role in the life of artists, especially those in Kansas City. In 2007 Betty Brand established the "Arthur Kraft Memorial Scholarship for the Visual Arts" with the Metropolitan Community College (Kansas City) . One of Kraft's best known works in
15609-554: Was a numbered edition. The book is still in print today. In the late 1950s Kraft was commissioned by Victor Gruen, architect of the Glendale Shopping Center in Indianapolis, Indiana , to create a sculpture for the new shopping center. The sculpture "Wynkin, Blynkin and Nod" was installed in 1960 and dedicated on October 12, 1960. The sculpture portrays three golden, stylized penguins with their flippers spread standing around
15738-481: Was an examination of how African artists expressed the dynamic interactions between African cultures and Europeans and Westerners with 95 art pieces that reflect the theme from European colonization settlements in Africa, through the contemporary years of post-independence. Nii Quarcoopome was quoted as saying, "At the heart of the exhibition and its accompanying catalogue is the desire to give agency to African voices; indeed,
15867-456: Was appointed acting Curator. Sickman returned to his curatorial role after the war; eight years later he was named Director. Among the many successes of his tenure, the most important was the major exhibition "Archaeological Finds of the People's Republic of China", which ran from April 20-June 8, 1975 and attracted about 280,000 visitors. The exhibition of 385 pieces was a result of the détente between
15996-464: Was his second time in a mental hospital. Later that year, he released a limited-edition book titled "The Sounds of Fury," which included color reproductions, black-and-white sketches and stories about some of the patients. In 1972, he told The Kansas City Times that the experience gave him "a newfound sense of urgency in his work." Kraft spent most of his life in Kansas City and continued to make art, even during his long bout with cancer . His final work
16125-594: Was mostly uninhabited, something of a no man's land that kept peace between the Illinois on the east bank of the Mississippi River and to the North, and the Osage and Missouri Indians of the lower Missouri Valley. In the early 1700s, French traders and missionaries explored the whole of the Mississippi Valley, and named the region "Louisiana". Around the same time, a different group of French Canadians established five villages on
16254-562: Was quickly organized in Kansas City to make the Nelson Gallery the only American venue. "Sacred Circles" was the second most popular exhibition after the Chinese show of 1975, running from April 16-June 19, 1977, and drawing more than 245,000 visitors. Ted Coe requested a sabbatical from his duties as Director in March 1982 and resigned at the end of June, having worked at the Nelson for 23 years, including 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 years as Director. Ted Coe
16383-468: Was succeeded by Marc Wilson, who served from 1982 to 2010. On September 1, 2010, Julián Zugazagoitia (b. 1964) became the museum's fifth Director. Zugazagoitia had previously served for seven years as the Director and CEO of El Museo del Barrio in New York City. In 1993, the museum began to consider the first expansion plans since the completion of the unfinished areas in the 1940s. Plans called for
16512-583: Was the center of a regional trading network that reached from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico . The civilization declined by 1400 CE, and most descendants left the area long before the arrival of Europeans. St. Louis was at one time known as Mound City by the European Americans because of the numerous surviving prehistoric mounds since lost to urban development. The Mississippian culture left mounds throughout
16641-518: Was the epicenter of the four New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 . Missouri generally has a humid continental climate with cool, sometimes cold, winters and hot, humid, and wet summers. In the southern part of the state, particularly in the Bootheel , the climate becomes humid subtropical . Located in the interior United States, Missouri often experiences extreme temperatures. Without high mountains or oceans nearby to moderate temperature, its climate
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