Columbus Museum of Art

The Columbus Museum of Art is an art museum located in downtown Columbus, Ohio, founded in 1878. It functions as a regional cultural institution with both permanent collections and rotating exhibitions.

Galleries present works spanning American and European painting, modern and contemporary art, and decorative arts, with a mix of permanent displays and temporary exhibitions. The museum runs educational programs and visitor services typical of a civic art museum.

Founded in the late 19th century as a local art institution, the museum has undergone expansions and building updates over the 20th and 21st centuries to broaden gallery and public program space.

The museum occupies a site in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and is sited within the city’s cultural district.

• Founding: Established in 1878, the museum traces its origins to a late 19th-century civic art institution and has expanded its campus and programming since then.

What to See#

• Permanent collection galleries: Galleries devoted to the museum’s permanent collections, which display American, European, and modern and contemporary works on a rotating basis.
• Temporary exhibition galleries: Spaces used for temporary and touring exhibitions that change regularly and host national and international loaned shows.

The museum is on East Broad Street near the intersection with Gay Street, about a 10-15 minute walk from the Statehouse and in the vicinity of the Short North. Street parking and nearby paid lots are available; COTA buses serve downtown routes that stop within a few blocks.

• Check the museum's website for rotating exhibitions and late-night openings on selected Thursdays.
• Enter via the Broad Street entrance to be closest to the main lobby and current exhibitions.
• The museum's sculpture garden and outdoor installations are worth a quick visit in good weather; they change with temporary exhibitions.