Dallas Museum of Art

The Dallas Museum of Art is the anchor institution of Dallas's Arts District, the largest contiguous urban arts district in the United States, and one of the most significant encyclopedic art museums in the American Southwest. With a collection of more than 26,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of world art history and a campus designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes that runs along Flora Street in the heart of the Arts District, the DMA is a major American art institution that has grown significantly in ambition and collecting depth since its founding in 1903.

The collection's strengths reflect both the breadth of an encyclopedic institution and the particular interests of Dallas's collector community, which has been unusually engaged with specific areas of collecting over the museum's history. The pre-Columbian and ancient American collections are exceptional, with holdings that document artistic production in Mexico, Central America, and South America from the earliest periods through the Spanish conquest. The decorative arts collection, including American and European furniture, silver, ceramics, and glass from the 17th through the 20th centuries, is one of the finest in a regional museum in the country. The contemporary collection has grown substantially in recent decades, reflecting Dallas's emergence as a major contemporary art market and the collecting activity of the city's most significant patrons.

The museum's free admission policy, implemented in 2013, has transformed its relationship with the Dallas community, significantly increasing attendance and making the DMA one of the most visited art museums in the country. The policy reflects a commitment to genuine accessibility that extends to programming: the museum's evening events, family programs, and community partnerships make it a living part of Dallas's cultural life rather than an institution accessible only to insiders. The adjacent Nasher Sculpture Center, designed by Renzo Piano and housing one of the finest sculpture collections in the world, and the Crow Museum of Asian Art round out an Arts District that makes Dallas one of the most concentrated museum destinations in the South.