The Baltimore Museum of Art

From the art of ancient Egypt to modern masterpieces, you can observe and appreciate more than 95,000 works of art from around the world – Africa, Europe, Asia and America – all right here in Baltimore. The Baltimore Museum of Art houses an impressive collection of paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and sculptures of some of the most prominent artists from history and today.

Founded in 1914 with a single painting, the Baltimore Museum of Art found a permanent home in the heart of Charles Village in the 1920s, a neoclassical building designed by renowned American architect John Russell Pope and two landscaped gardens with 20th century sculptures. Its mission is as true today as it was over 100 years ago: to recognize and foster the importance of art into our social fabric. Today that end, the works of art may be priceless, but admission to the museum is always free.

The highlight of the museum, and my favority part, is the Cone Collection. Baltimore sisters Claribel and Etta Cone were accomplished art collectors who amassed a wealth of works by artists including Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The Cone sisters were among the first patrons of Henri Matisse and collected his works throughout the artist's entire career. Thanks in part to the Cone sisters' collection, which was donated to the museum in 1949, the Baltimore Museum of Art is home to more than 1,000 works by Matisse, making it the largest holding of his work in the world.

More recently the Baltimore Museum of Art made headlines when it opened its "Guarding the Art" exhibition. The exhibit is made up of 25 unique works selected by the men and women employed by the museum to watch over and protect its masterpieces. These guest curators from the museum's security team collaborated with staff to chose works that spanned eras, genres, cultures and  mediums. The aim of the exhibit is to fulfill the museum's commitment to be more diverse, inclusive and representative of the community it serves, and only runs until July 10!

Right now, as a special exhibit through August 14, is an amazing retrospective of artist Joan Mitchell that is extremely popular. Or the showcase of Salman Toor's contemporary work in "No Ordinary Love." Or the exhibition "Devotions," featuring photographs by NYC-based artist Elle Pérez. There's always something new to inspire you at the Baltimore Museum of Art, and we're thrilled to have access to these masterpieces right in our backyard.

"Don't wait for inspiration. It comes while one is working." - Henri Matisse