High Museum of Art

About this Museum

Established in 1905 as the Atlanta Art Association, the High Museum of Art’s first permanent home came in 1926 when Mrs. Joseph M. High donated her family’s Peachtree Street home to the institution. In 1955, it moved to a new brick structure next to the old High house. The Atlanta Memorial Arts Center opened in 1968, and was constructed around the existing Museum. In 1983, the Museum debuted a 135,000-square-foot structure designed by American architect Richard Meier (known today as the Stent Family Wing), which tripled its space. In 2005, it expanded once again, this time with three new buildings designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, which more than doubled its previous size,

The High has over 15,000 works of art in its permanent collection, including an extensive anthology of 19^th- and 20^th-century American art, significant European paintings, and growing collections of contemporary art, photography, folk art, African art, and design. The High is also dedicated to supporting the legacy of notable Southern American artists.

Its design and decorative arts collection includes more than 2,300 objects dating from 1640 through today, including international works of 20^th and 21^st century at the intersections of art and design, as well handcraft and technology. Highlights include the Virginia Carroll Crawford Collection of American decorative art, which features important works by Alexander Roux, Herter Brothers, Tiffany & Co., and Frank Lloyd Wright. Other notable acquisitions include the likes of Joris Laarman's prototype for MX3D (Dragon Bench) (2014); Ron Arad's Blo-Void 1 chair (2006); and Gerrit Rietveld's Red/Blue Chair (1918).