Portland Art Museum Celebrates Arts Patronage in City of Roses

The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon — The oldest art museum on the West Coast
Photo by Charles Pannell

Running through May 22, 2011, Riches of a City: Portland Collects, offers a rare glimpse behind closed doors, with an exhibition that features more than 200 objects from private collections. This temporary exhibition takes its title from a quote from Portland Art Museum founder C.E.S. Wood, “Good citizens are the riches of a city.” It not only celebrates arts patronage in Portland, but it also illustrates the influence that these private collections have on the museum.

In preparation for the exhibition the museum's curators explored local collections of photography, prints, drawings, silver, Asian art, European art, and modern and contemporary art. In the process they uncovered many exceptional objects including works by Picasso, Lautrec, Miro and Warhol. The end result is a truly stunning and diverse exhibition, one that appeals to a wide range of art lovers.

As the oldest museum on the West Coast, the Portland Art Museum is known for their impressive collections of English silver, graphic arts and Native American art. It's also a museum that has been hugely influenced by the passions of local collectors, as nearly 80 percent of their permanent collection was gifted by generous patrons.

Access is good at the Portland Art Museum as well, with an accessible entrance on the left , elevator access to all floors and plenty of room to roll around the spacious galleries. For more information about the Portland Art Museum or Riches of a City: Portland Collects, visit www.portlandartmuseum.org.

The Portland Art Museum is just the tip of the cultural iceberg in the City of Roses. For more information about other attractions, visit www.travelPortland.com. And for detailed information about wheelchair-accessible transportation, lodging and things to see and do in Portland, read the Spring 2011 issue of Emerging Horizons.