Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Museums, Est. 1994 - Kansas City, Missouri

Kemper Museum is a treasure house presenting modern and contemporary art, in Kansas City, Missouri. The staff collects, preserves, documents, interprets, and exhibits a growing permanent collection and offers a variety of educational programs. The museum strives to represent artists of diverse nationalities, artistic influences, media and ethnicity.

Kemper Museum was built with funds provided by R. Crosby Kemper, then chairman and CEO of UMB Financial Corporation. Construction began on October 2, 1992, and was completed two years later. The facility was incorporated as a nonprofit museum with an independent board of trustees on September 13, 1995.

Designed by Gunnar Birkerts, Kemper Museum measures to more than 23,200 square feet. A large atrium, central to the museum, culminates in an articulated skylight 22 feet in height. Two wings extend from the atrium. Works of art can be seen in the atrium and corridors of each wing.

The main gallery, at 5,697 square feet, features selections from the permanent collection, and is used for changing exhibitions. The smaller galleries showcase rotating exhibitions, whereas the meeting room offers works on paper and other glazed works from the permanent collection. Besides the gallery spaces, the museum also houses an A/V-equipped meeting room, an indoor courtyard, cafe and gift shop.

The permanent collection mainly comprises the Bebe and Crosby Kemper Collection, a gift of the Kempers, the museum’s donors, and the Kemper Foundations. It also includes works by such renowned artists as Louise Bourgeois, Helen Frankenthaler, Willem de Kooning, and Robert Mapplethorpe.

The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art rotates its collection on a regular basis, allowing visitors to discover and study new works throughout the year. The museum also offers lectures, film and video series, performances, and educational events on a regular basis year round.