About

In 1879 Thomas Barlow (T. B.) Walker (1840–1928) opened an art gallery in his downtown Minneapolis home to the public. The Ohio-born business magnate, whose many ventures included lumber companies in Minnesota and California, had built the mansion in 1873 on Hennepin Avenue, the site that now houses the State Theater. It was a unique venue for the art of its time. It was also a modest start for a contemporary art center now revered throughout the world for the range and vitality of its visual arts, performing arts, and media arts programs.

As T. B. Walker’s collection grew, he expanded his home, and by 1915 it included 14 galleries. Each space had a different theme, such as the Miniature Portrait Room, the Jade Room, and the Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot Room. The galleries displayed paintings hung salon-style from floor to ceiling, along with classical sculptures, antique furniture, and rare Oriental rugs. In 1916, he purchased land south of downtown Minneapolis known as Lowry Hill. Several years later, in 1919, he offered the Lowry site and his art collection to the City of Minneapolis with the stipulation that a public building with art gallery, library, and science center were to be built. After five years of negotiations with no progress, Walker withdrew his offer and built his own museum. On May 21, 1927, the Walker Art Galleries opened on the present site of the Walker Art Center.

The Great Depression struck in 1929, and millions of people struggled to survive. During this time, the Walker Art Galleries were open but with few visitors. In 1938, the Works Progress Administration and the Federal Art Project proposed reanimating the gallery. With the support of T. B. Walker’s heirs and help from thousands of Minneapolis residents, a model art center was created. On January 4, 1940, the Walker Art Center opened to the public. It served as both an inspiring “meeting place for all the arts” and a home to a distinguished and varied art collection.

The museum’s focus on modern art began in the 1940s, when support from Mrs. Gilbert Walker, T. B. Walker’s daughter-in-law, made possible the acquisition of works by important artists of the day, including Franz Marc, Lyonel Feininger, I. Rice Pereira, and Edward Hopper. From that moment on, the Walker Art Center has focused on collecting contemporary artwork; concurrently, performing arts, film, and education programs have grown proportionately and gained their own national prominence.

Adjacent to the Walker Art Center is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Opened in 1988, the Garden is a unique public-private collaboration between the museum and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Showcasing works from the Walker’s collection, this urban park features more than 60 public sculptures on 11 acres, including Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Spoonbridge and Cherry (1985–1988), a beloved symbol of Minneapolis. The Siah Armajani Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge (1988) spans 16 lanes of traffic and connects the Garden to Loring Park, providing a scenic walkway for foot and bicycle traffic. The Garden is free and open to the public 365 days a year.

In 2005, the Walker increased its indoor and outdoor facilities to enhance the artistic, educational, and social experiences for visitors, adding to its existing 1971 building. This major expansion included the technologically sophisticated McGuire Theater, new gallery spaces, terraces and plazas, and underground parking, among other features. In 2017, the museum opened the Wurtele Upper Garden on the hillside next to the building. With sculptures from the collection, accessible pathways, and groves of trees, this greenspace also serves as an outdoor venue for performances, screenings, and educational events.

Today, the Walker Art Center is both a global leader in the contemporary art field and a cultural anchor in the Twin Cities. A place for all to explore a variety of arts and educational activities, the Walker offers visitors and audiences experiences that ignite curiosity and creativity while deepening appreciation and enjoyment of contemporary art and culture.