The Gibbes Museum of Art is one of the most remarkable buildings in Charleston’s famed historic district. The museum, which opened its doors to the public in 1905, houses over 10,000 works of art.
These works of art are mainly American, with a connection to the Southern U.S. and Charleston area. Visitors can explore Charleston and the Lowcountry through paintings, sculptures, photographs, and miniature portraits.
In addition, the museum has a rotating series of collections available for a limited time, borrowed from famous museums all over the world. Spanning virtually every style, era and genre, Charleston visitors are encouraged to return to the gallery often to see what new exhibitions are on display.
The Gibbes Museum of Art is the perfect place for someone who wants to enjoy one of the largest southern collections of fine artwork on display. The first floor gallery is free to the public, but paid admission is required to view the second and third floor galleries. Allow 1 1/2 - 2 hours to tour the entire museum, depending on the number of visitors at the time. Parking is not available at the museum, but on-street metered parking is offered throughout downtown. Parking is also available in the parking deck on Cumberland St and Queen St for a fee.
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Click Photos to Enlarge
Hours:
Mon. - Sat. 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday 1 pm - 5 pm
Admission:
Adults (18+) $12
College Student $10
Senior/Military $10
Child (4-17) $6
Children 3 and under Free
The museum is closed in accordance with the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Gibbes Museum of Art
135 Meeting St
Charleston SC 29401
(843) 722-2706
Gibbes Museum Website
Current Exhibition: The Bitter Years: Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans Photographs from the Martin Z. Margulies Collection
When: Sept. 8, 2023 - Jan. 14, 2024
Where: Galleries 8 & 9
Originated as a tribute to the 1962 Bitter Years photography exhibition curated by the illustrious Edward Steichen for the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the current exhibition organized by the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, features photographs by renowned American photographers Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Marion Post Wolcott, Jack Delano, and others who launched their careers as documentarians of the Great Depression. Working for the Farm Securities Administrations, a branch of Roosevelt’s New Deal program, these photographers were hired to capture the social landscape of the country, highlighting the challenges facing Americans between 1935 and 1944. As one photographer articulated, “the idea is to show New York to Texans and Texas to New Yorkers.” The Martin Z. Margulies Photography Collection includes over 100 vintage photographs from the Farm Security Administration, sixty-five were selected for this exhibition, which also features a series of Polaroids produced by Walker Evans in 1973 and '74 returning to themes found in the earlier works.
Current Exhibition: Something Terrible May Happen: The Works of Aubrey Beardsley and Edward “Ned” I.R. Jennings
When: Oct. 20, 2023 - Mar. 10, 2024
Where: Galleries 2 & 3
Oscar Wilde, then the poster boy of the inherently queer British Aestheticism Movement, visited Charleston in 1882. That same year, a local newspaper would attribute the popularity of yellow Easter egg dyes to the influence of “aesthetic fever.” Something Terrible May Happen: The Art of Aubrey Beardsley and Edward Ned I.R. Jennings will expand on the lasting influence of “aesthetic fever” as it relates to Charleston’s visual arts specifically. Recontextualizing the work of Charleston Renaissance artist Edward “Ned” I.R. Jennings, and examining the stylistic affinity of his work to British Aesthete, and famed illustrator, Aubrey Beardsley, Something Terrible May Happen will open new doors for exploring the LGBTQ+ influences on the Charleston Renaissance and one of its most original artists.
Current Exhibition: Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature
When: Jan. 26, 2024 - Apr. 28, 2024
Where: Galleries 8 & 9
Presenting the vibrant and varied career of the renowned Scottish artist, Rory McEwen (1932 –1982), this exhibition reveals McEwen’s lifelong enquiry into light and color through his remarkable paintings of plants. Bringing a modern sensibility to botanical art, McEwen developed a distinctive style, painting on vellum and using large empty backgrounds on which his plant portraits seem to float. Without shadows and executed in exact, minutely accurate detail, he recorded the imperfect and the unique, as well as the flawless. McEwen’s work, shown in this exhibition alongside the works of master botanical artists from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, “has had a lasting impact on the botanical art world, where he is recognized as one of the standard-bearers of today’s renaissance in botanical painting.”
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