Madison Art Galleries

(Madison, Wisconsin - WI, USA)

If you are visiting Madison and wish to pay a visit to a gallery or two, then there are several exhibition spaces to consider, where paintings and other art works are both exhibited and available for purchase. Each year in early July, the Art Fair on the Square sees some 500 different artists gathering on Capitol Square, drawing in the region of 200,000 visitors.

Located on the eastern side of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and previously named the Elvehjem Museum, the Chazen Museum of Art is to be found within the art school, where it has recently enjoyed a major expansion project costing more than US$30 million.

The central Overture Center for the Arts lies on the western side of the Wisconsin State Capitol Square, where its understated modern architecture is topped by a giant glass lantern. This striking gallery opened in the summer of 2004, following an extremely generous donation of some US$200 million by prominent local philanthropist Jerome Frautschi.

For lovers of modern canvasses and sculptures, a visit to the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is a real must. This gallery is to be found sited within the Overture Center for the Arts on State Street and is often abbreviated as simply the MMoCA. The building itself is quite a statement in modernism, with its dramatic glass facade and crisp corners.

Chazen Museum of Art

Address: 750 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin (WI), 53706, USA
Tel: +1 608 263 2246
This spacious gallery is flooded with natural light and features the works of a number of acclaimed artists, such as Auguste Rodin (1840 to 1917), Eugène Boudin (1824 to 1898), Joan Miró (1893 to 1983) and Thomas Gainsborough (1727 to 1788). There is also a collection of sculptures and photographs, together with temporary exhibitions, Sunday afternoon chamber concerts and impressive lake views through the walls of floor-to-ceiling windows.
Open hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday - 09:00 to 17:00, Thursday - 09:00 to 21:00, Saturday and Sunday - 11:00 to 17:00
Admission: free

Overture Center for the Arts

Address: 201 State Street, Madison, Wisconsin (WI), 53703, USA
Tel: +1 608 258 4177
The Overture Center for the Arts replaced the existing Civic Center and houses a selection of attractions, such as the Capitol Theater, the Overture Hall, the Playhouse, the Promenade Hall, the Rotunda Stage, the Rotunda Studio, the Wisconsin Studio and also the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. In total there are four visual art galleries, including the James Watrous Gallery, which is currently managed by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.
Open hours: guided tours by appointment
Admission: charge

Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA)

Address: 227 State Street, Madison, Wisconsin (WI), 53703, USA
Tel: +1 608 258 4177
Visitors to the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art are able to explore three floors of exhibits, where local artists from Madison and throughout Wisconsin are promoted. On the fourth floor you may like to take advantage of the rooftop restaurant, where you can partake of a bite to eat 'al fresco' whilst enjoying superb views across State Street and beyond. The onsite museum store is a great place to pick up a souvenir or gift and sells everything from postcards, prints and books to funky kitchenware and contemporary jewelry.
Open hours: Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday - 12:00 to 17:00, Friday - 12:00 to 20:00, Saturday - 10:00 to 20:00
Admission: free