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!

Spotlight on the Collection: October 2017

Georgia O’Keeffe was preoccupied by painting apples in the early 1920s.  She painted red and green apples on plates, tables, and fields of color. While some of these images study […]

Spotlight on the Collection: July 2017

Jars decorated with cut out panels filled with landscape pictures are some of the most charming wares of the Joseon period (1392-1910). Court painters were sent to the official kilns […]

Spotlight on the Collection: June 2017

During the 1730s and 1740s, Meissen introduced a series of porcelain figures based on characters of the Commedia dell’arte, a type of traveling theater that originated in Italy. The Commedia […]

Spotlight on the collection: April 2017

This painting of a man and woman embracing is from the West African country of Senegal. The image has been painted on the back of a pane of glass – […]

Spotlight on the Collection: March 2017

Bound and Determined:  Helen Gertrude Sahler’s Spirit of Revolt This year marks the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into the First World War. Although World War I began on […]

Spotlight on the Collection: February 2017

*This work will be on view later this year as part of an exhibition of Asian art from the Weldon collection. This lamp is a masterpiece of design. A small dish […]

Spotlight on the Collection: January 2017

While Alabama never has much of a real winter, other places are virtually defined by freezing temperatures, snow, and ice. This is certainly true for the Netherlands. The winter of […]

Spotlight on the Collection: December 2016

This crown would have been worn by a chief of the Baule people who live in the West African country of Côte d’Ivoire, which means Ivory Coast in French. The […]

Spotlight on the Collection: October 2016

O Soul come back! Why have you left your abode And sped to the Earth’s four corners? Deserting the place of your delight To meet with all those things of […]

Spotlight On the Collection: September 2016

During the early part of the 20th century in German-speaking Europe, artists and designers sought to reconcile centuries-old craft traditions with the demands of large-scale industry. Stylistic issues were a […]