Saint Paul Art Galleries

(Saint Paul, Minnesota - MN, USA)

The art scene in Minnesota is very much centered around the Twin Cities. Just a short drive away from downtown St. Paul are a couple of extremely notable galleries, namely the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, both of which will more than satisfy the cravings of budding art enthusiasts.

Also next-door is the Minnesota Museum of American Art, where many important American landscape paintings are on display. These have been created by renowned artists such as George Morrison (1919 to 2000), Grant DeVolson Wood (1891 to 1942), Joan Mitchell (1925 to 1992), Louise Nevelson (1899 to 1988) and Thomas Hart Benton (1889 to 1975).

The James J. Hill House Art Gallery is to be found standing on Summit Avenue, close to St. Paul's Cathedral on Selby Avenue. This building is an especially grand Gothic-style mansion and was constructed in the early 1890s by wealthy Great Northern Railway mogul James J. Hill (1838 to 1916), becoming a US National Historic Landmark in the 1960s. At the end of the 1970s, the house came into the hands of the Minnesota Historical Society, who thoroughly restored its period features and opened it to the paying public.

Minnesota Museum of American Art (MMAA)

Address: 332 North Robert Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota (MN), 55101, USA
Tel: +1 651 797 2571
Centrally located and just a couple of blocks away from Mears Park, the Minnesota Museum of American Art has its origins in the last decade of the 19th century, when it began its life as the St. Paul School of Fine Arts. The gallery has recently lost its former exhibition space and is currently based at the Pioneer Building, on the corner of East 4th Street and North Robert Street. Regional artists from all over Minnesota are often supported and promoted here, where possible.
Open hours: Thursday and Friday - 16:00 to 21:00, Saturday and Sunday - 12:00 to 17:00
Admission: free

James J. Hill House Art Gallery

Address: 240 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota (MN), 55102, USA
Tel: +1 651 297 2555
The resident art gallery at the James J. Hill House is a particular feature and showcases many pieces within Hill's private collection, in a space flooded with natural light, thanks to the giant roof made of glass. If you do not wish to tour the house, it is possible to pay a nominal fee so that you can just visit the gallery itself.
Open hours: Monday to Saturday - 10:00 to 16:00, Sunday - 13:00 to 16:00
Admission: charge, discounts available for seniors, students and children, children five years old and under are free

Landmark Center

Address: 75 West 5th Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota (MN), 55102, USA
Tel: +1 651 292 3225
Standing close to Rice Park and the Landmark Plaza, the pink-granite Landmark Center is a spectacular castle-like building, which dates back to the turn of the 20th century and wouldn't look out of place fronting a plaza in Disneyland. It originally served the city in a variety of ways, as its Court House, its Custom House and also its Post Office. A number of the Twin Cities' most noteworthy art-based organizations are now based here, following a major renovation and restructuring project in the 1970s. These include both the Landmark Gallery, which boasts an extensive permanent collection of historic landscape paintings, and the Gallery of Wood Art, which is managed by the American Association of Woodturners and comes with a popular gift shop filled with wooden treasures.
Open hours: Monday to Wednesday, Friday - 08:00 to 17:00, Thursday - 08:00 to 20:00, Saturday - 10:00 to 17:00, Sunday - 12:00 to 17:00
AAW Gallery of Wood Art: Tuesday to Friday - 11:00 to 16:00, Sunday - 12:00 to 15:00 and by appointment
Admission: free, donations suggested