Milwaukee Art Museum
Calatrava’s winged pavilion, Saarinen’s severe War Memorial Center, and galleries rich in Wisconsin art make architecture and collection inseparable here.
Artwork inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe
The museum is best approached as a sequence of buildings before it becomes a sequence of galleries. Eero Saarinen’s 1957 War Memorial Center, David Kahler’s addition, and Santiago Calatrava’s Quadracci Pavilion register very different ideas about monumentality, civic space, and the lakefront; the Burke Brise Soleil opens and closes when weather allows.
Inside, European painting, American decorative arts, Haitian art, photography, folk and self-taught work, and one of the country’s strongest holdings of Georgia O’Keeffe reward selective looking. Start with the lakefront architecture, choose two collection areas, and leave time for the changing light in Windhover Hall rather than trying to exhaust every room.
- Collection
- 5,000+ years of art
- Architects
- Saarinen, Kahler, Calatrava
- Signature motion
- Burke Brise Soleil
Quick guide
- Begin outside
- Quadracci Pavilion and lakefront
- Inside anchor
- O’Keeffe and Wisconsin art
Read the museum from lake edge to gallery wall
- Watch the wings
- Check whether the Burke Brise Soleil is scheduled to move; wind and weather can override the normal opening and closing ritual.
- Cross architectural eras
- Compare Saarinen’s cantilevered memorial block with Calatrava’s bright, kinetic pavilion before entering the collection.
- Choose two collection threads
- Pair a Wisconsin artist with a distant period or culture so the visit becomes a comparison instead of a checklist.
- Return to the lake
- Use Windhover Hall and the terrace to notice how the horizon, bridge, and changing light complete the building.
Good to know
The moving “wings” are functional sun screens, not a guaranteed show; high winds, maintenance, or weather can keep them stationary.
Notice these
- Wing-like brise soleil
- Windhover Hall
- Lake Michigan sightlines