Richmond Art Museum

The Richmond Art Museum is a public art museum located in Richmond, Indiana, in the United States. Founded in 1898 as the Art Association of Richmond, Indiana, it holds the distinction of being the only public art museum in the United States connected with a public high school. The museum's collection is particularly strong in American Impressionism, with significant holdings from the Hoosier Group, the Richmond Group, and the Taos School, as well as an important ceramics collection featuring the work of the Overbeck Sisters.

The institution was established in 1898 as the Art Association of Richmond, Indiana, through the efforts of artist John Elwood Bundy and author and attorney William Dudley Foulke. Ella Bond Johnston served as president of the Richmond Art Association from 1899 through 1915, providing early leadership during the organization's formative period. The museum's close connection with local educational institutions began through collaboration with the Richmond Community School. In 1915, the museum moved into a purpose-built structure on the grounds of Richmond High School, made possible by a generous donation from Charles McGuire. The museum adopted its current name, Richmond Art Museum, in 1996.

The collection focuses on American art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with particular depth in American Impressionism. The museum holds significant works associated with three major regional movements: the Hoosier Group, the Richmond Group, and the Taos School. A major strength lies in its ceramics holdings, especially the substantial collection of works by the Overbeck Sisters. The museum also maintains a collection of Native American art and decorative arts.

The collection's most celebrated work is a very large self-portrait by American Impressionist William Merritt Chase, painted specifically for the museum in 1915-16. This painting has become an icon of the collection. Other significant artists represented include Frank Duveneck, Henry Mosler, Walter Shirlaw, William Aiken Walker, William Wendt, Charles Courtney Curran, William Victor Higgins, Ben Foster, Robert Reid, Asher Durand, Childe Hassam, Adam Emory Albright, E. Irving Couse, Leonard Ochtman, John Christen Johansen, Francis Focer Brown, Guy Carleton Wiggins, Jane Peterson, Janet Scudder, Paul Weber, Harry Mills Walcott, Albert Lorey Groll, Gordon Grant, Louis Betts, De Scott Evans, Marcus Mote, Frederick Judd Waugh, Wayman Elbridge Adams, Aminah Robinson, and Johann Berthelsen.

The museum is housed in McGuire Memorial Hall on the campus of Richmond High School. The building was constructed in 1915 and was made possible through a donation from Charles McGuire, who gave the structure in honor of his mother, Esther Elderkin McGuire. It was designed by Chicago architect John Leonard Hamilton Jr. In addition to exhibition galleries, the building contains a concert hall and classrooms for music and art instruction.

The Richmond Art Museum is located in Richmond, Indiana, within McGuire Memorial Hall at Richmond High School. Its unique status as the only public art museum in the United States connected to a public high school defines its present role in the community. The museum maintains an official website at richmondartmuseum.org.