Skip to content

Spotlight on the Collection

Besides its unbeatable lineup of special exhibitions, the BMA has one of the finest permanent collections in the Southeast. With more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, videos, and decorative arts, the collection spans more than 4000 years and represents cultures from around the globe. Now, discover your Museum with the Spotlight on the Collection series. Experience the spotlight work in the galleries with an ArtBreak or Slow Art Sunday, like us on Facebook to learn more, or join the conversation below to tell us what you think about these artworks!

Kaikoo II

Sitting at the corner of Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard and Reverend Abraham Woods Jr. Boulevard, artist Betty Gold’s massive red sculpture Kaikoo II has become a fixture of the Birmingham […]

Moonlight in Virginia

George Inness is something of an enigma in the history of American art. His contemporaries characterized him—unlike any other nineteenth-century American painter—as “both a poet and a philosopher…who spoke through […]

Wedgwood and the Royal Prussian Iron Foundries

In the 18th century, the Wedgwood world extended beyond English borders. The influence of the pottery established by Josiah Wedgwood in 1759 reached continental Europe and affected not only the […]

An Original Maker: S.L. Jones

This image of two musicians was created by Shields Landon “S.L.” Jones, an artist from West Virginia. Jones, who was born in 1901, grew up in the rural Southern Appalachians […]

Painting on Stone

This painting shows the birth of Jesus as recounted in the Bible and is a wonderful, small work of art. Let’s focus first on the frame: the scene is surrounded […]

Durga

“Who runs the world? Girls!” Those wise and catchy words from Queen Bae confirm what most of us already know– women are mighty. We know girls are running the world, […]

A Gift Between Friends

At the BMA, Joan Mitchell is best known for her large oil on canvas triptych, Bonjour Julie, but the smaller, more intimate painting currently hanging in the American galleries is also worth getting to know.

Am I not a Man and a Brother?

Senior Curator Anne Forschler-Tarrasch, PhD discusses the powerful imagery featured on an 18th century medallion.

Civil Rights Press Prints

Dr. Katelyn Crawford, Curator of American Art, discusses two photos from the Museum’s collection that had a major impact on the early Civil Rights Movement.

The Qilin

In Chinese mythology, the Qilin appears only at the impending arrival or passing of a sage or a great ruler. The animal is a good omen thought to predict prosperity and peace.

Spotlight on the Collection: December 2017

This storage basket is compelling not just for its beautiful design and precise craftsmanship, but because of the artist herself and the context of her life and work.