Krannert Art Museum

            Made possible through the philanthropy of Herman and Ellnora Krannert, [1] the Krannert Art Museum was dedicated on May 20, 1961. [2]  Herman Krannert was the Founder of the Inland Container Corporation and a graduate of the class of 1912. [3]  The building, designed by Richardson, Severns, Scheeler, and Associates, features an exterior adorned with white Vermont marble and gold-plated screens on its southern face. [4]  A reflecting pool which once shimmered in front of the Museum's southern entrance proved too difficult to keep filled and was eventually filled in with gravel.  Initiation, by the Italian artist Mirko, rests atop the museum sign. [5]  Along the southeast side of the building small sculptures spring forth from the ground in playful poses as part of the H. I. Gelvin and Mabery D. Gelvin Garden, dedicated in November 1990. [6]

            The dedication exhibition ran from May 20 to June 25, 1961 and featured as its highlight Bartolome Esteban Murillo's [7] Christ After the Flagellation.  The exhibition also featured 37 works in the Trees Collection, 18 in the "Paintings Sixteenth through Nineteenth Century", 54 in the Twentieth Century Paintings and Sculptures, 22 in the Prints and Drawings, and 48 in the Ewing Collection of Far Eastern Art.  The first director of the museum was C.V. Donovan. [8]

            In August 1968 a $1M 78 foot by 118 foot addition was built onto the museum. [9]  The Kinkead Pavilion was opened in 1988, designed by architect Lawrence Booth.  It was made possible by contributions from the William S. Kinkead Estate and the National Endowment for the Arts. [10]