Art Review: Birmingham Museum of Art a Fine Stop

Last month I spent two days on an art trip in Alabama, my first time there. I wish I’d explored more but was due in Nashville for a wedding, so I got to only Huntsville and Birmingham. I’ve written about the Huntsville Museum of Art, a grounding place to look at art in a city known for space exploration and missile development. The museum isn’t big and, having opened in 1970, isn’t old, either.

I spent an afternoon at the Birmingham Museum of Art, another not-very-old museum. It opened in 1951 in five galleries in the new City Hall. As with most places outside the Northeast and Chicago, wealth, taste, and worldliness, a scarce combination anywhere, came late to the South, so museums started late. It’s impressive and definitely a place to visit.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

Last month I spent two days on an art trip in Alabama, my first time there. I wish I’d explored more but was due in Nashville for a wedding, so I got to only Huntsville and Birmingham. I’ve written about the Huntsville Museum of Art, a grounding place to look at art in a city known for space exploration and missile development. The museum isn’t big and, having opened in 1970, isn’t old, either.

I spent an afternoon at the Birmingham Museum of Art, another not-very-old museum. It opened in 1951 in five galleries in the new City Hall. As with most places outside the Northeast and Chicago, wealth, taste, and worldliness, a scarce combination anywhere, came late to the South, so museums started late. It’s impressive and definitely a place to visit.