Atlanta's High Museum of Art

Atlanta's High Museum of Art is one of the Southeast's leading art museums. The museum is located on Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta. The High Museum is a division of the Woodruff Art Center, which also includes the Alliance Theater and the 14th Street Playhouse. The High was founded in 1905 as the Atlanta Art Association. In 1926 Mrs. Joseph High donated her family home on Peachtree Street to be the museum's permanent home. The museum moved into a new brick structure adjacent to the home in 1955. As the museum's collection grew over the next two decades, money was raised to build a larger facility. After raising $20 million dollars, the High moved into a new building in 1983, designed by award-winning architect Richard Meier. This tripled to museum's exhibition space. In another expansion in 2005, three new buildings designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano were opened. The facades of these buildings were designed to unite with the Meier building.

The High Museum of Art has more than 12,000 pieces in its permanent collection. These include 19th and 20th century American art, decorative arts and design, European art, African art, folk art, modern and contemporary art, and photography. In addition to the permanent collections, the High showcases a number of special exhibitions each year. Three specials exhibitions are now in their final weeks at the High Museum.

"Salvador Dali': The Late Work" is the first exhibition of his work after 1940. The exhibition contains more than 100 works of the Spanish surrealist including paintings, drawings, and prints. Atlanta is the only venue for this exhibition, which runs through January 9, 2011. "Titian and the Golden Age of Venetian Painting" runs through January 2, 2011. This special exhibition contains 25 works of the Italian Renaissance painter from the National Galleries of Scotland. Some have never been shown in the US. "Signs of Life: Photographs by Peter Sekaer" contains 88 prints by the Danish-born photographer. This is the first major exhibition dedicated to his work. This exhibition concludes on January 9, 2011.

The High Museum of Art recently received a gift of 47 works of art, the majority of which are posters and prints, by major Parisian artists including Toulouse-Lautrec. This is the one of the High's largest and most significant gifts of art. A special exhibition of these works entitled "Toulouse-Lautrec and Friends" will open in January 2011. The High Museum is well worth a visit at any time, but especially with so many special exhibits scheduled.