Collection Descriptions and Host Biographies

RedHOUSE

Jan and Frederick Mayer, long-time patrons of the Denver Art Museum, prolific Pre-Columbian, Spanish Colonial, Chinese, and Modern art collectors, moved from the suburbs to this redeveloping warehouse district out of commitment to urban living and pride in the city.

The RedHOUSE was completed in September, 1998, almost two years after ground was broken on the former parking lot in urban Denver. It is the first single family residence built in downtown Denver in well over 100 years, and has helped to direct the renaissance of this historic district. The Mayers were interested in creating a town home that would be sympathetic to the traditional late nineteenth-century brick and stone facades of Lower Downtown. They also had very specific wishes for the display of their art collections that had long been on view at the Captiva offices, the Denver Art Museum and their suburban residence. It was designed by Jim Olson, Principal designer at Olson Kundig Architects, who also designed the Kirkland Museum which opened in March 2018.

Clyfford Still Museum

The Clyfford Still Museum opened in 2011 and is one of the newest additions to Denver’s burgeoning Cultural Arts District located adjacent to the Denver Art Museum in the city’s Civic Center Cultural Complex. The two-story, 28,500-square-foot building was designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture specifically to display Still’s work. The museum allows visitors the unique experience to understand the legacy of Clyfford Still, an artist whose life has been shrouded in mystery and the bulk of whose work has been hidden from public view for more than 30 years.

       Dean Sobel, Director, Clyfford Still Museum

Cathey and Dick Finlon’s Contemporary Photography Collection

     Cathey FinlonRetired Owner McClain Finlon Advertising, Retired President Denver Art Museum 

Kirkland Museum

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art features three collections containing over 30,000 works by more than 1,500 artists and designers. All three collections are displayed together in salon style:

  • A celebrated international decorative art collection from about 1875 to about 1990 with examples of every major design period from Arts & Crafts to Postmodern
  • A Colorado & regional art collection with over 7,000 works by more than 700 artists and
  • A retrospective of Colorado’s distinguished painter, Vance Kirkland (1904–1981).

     Hugh Grant, Founding Director & Curator, Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art      

     Gerald Horner, Deputy Director, Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art

Denver Art Museum

Degas: Passion for Perfection

The exhibition showcases French artist Edgar Degas’ works from 1855 to 1906. More than 100 works consisting of paintings, drawings, pastels, etchings, monotypes, and sculptures in bronze are on view. The DAM is the sole American venue for the exhibition.

Jeffrey Gibson: Like a Hammer

The first major museum exhibition of the artist’s work—chronicles a pivotal moment in Gibson’s career when his contemporary artistic practice converged with his Native American heritage. About 65 objects created from 2011 to the present will be featured including figurative works, text-based wall hangings, a significant selection of beaded punching bags, painted works on rawhide and canvas, and video.

   Christoph Heinrich, Ph. D., Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the Denver Art Museum

American Museum of Western Art – The Anschutz Collection

You will be surprised to see more than cowboys and landscapes on view at the American Museum of Western Art. The three floors of galleries reveal a range of styles and subject matter, from the historic to the contemporary. We invite you to step back into the American West and allow western art to take you on a journey to discover which of the 300 paintings speak to you the most. Our goal is to educate and communicate the cross-section of art and history within Western American history from the early 19th century to present day. The Anschutz Collection is made up of over 600 paintings, drawings, and sculptures representing more than 180 artists.

     Kristin FongDeputy Director and Educator, American Museum of Western Art—The Anschutz Collection.  Kristin oversees and facilitates programs, education and interpretation initiatives, and manages research and media requests to further the Museum’s mission and increase accessibility.

Wynkoop Brewing Company

Founded by our current governor John Hickenlooper and known as the “brewery that brewed a neighborhood”, the Wynkoop Brewing Company catalyzed the revitalization of the LoDo neighborhood and is one of the original breweries in Denver.