Joslyn Art Museum

About this museum

Omaha tends to surprise visitors, and nowhere does it surprise more thoroughly than at the Joslyn Art Museum. Housed in a 1931 art deco building of pink Georgia marble - one of the most architecturally magnificent museum buildings in the American Midwest - and expanded in 1994 by Norman Foster's luminous modern addition, the Joslyn is as much an experience in architectural beauty as it is in art. The building alone, a monument to Omaha's interwar ambitions, justifies the trip.What's inside more than matches the exterior. The collection spans antiquity through the twenty - first century, with particular strength in European Old Masters, nineteenth - century American art, and the art of the American West, including one of the most important collections of Karl Bodmer's watercolors depicting Native American life along the upper Missouri in the 1830s. The galleries in Foster's pavilion bathe in natural light, and the theater hosts performances and film screenings throughout the year. The café provides a welcome respite after extended gallery wandering.With 2, 846 visitor reviews and a 4.7 rating, the Joslyn has earned genuine national recognition, though it remains somewhat underappreciated outside the region. That's good news for those who do make the visit - the galleries are rarely overcrowded, and the experience is unhurried.The museum is located at 2200 Dodge Street in Omaha's cultural corridor. Hours run Tuesday through Saturday from 10AM to 4PM, with extended Thursday hours until 8PM, and Sunday from 10AM to 4PM. Monday is closed. Admission to the permanent collection is free, with details confirmed at joslyn.org. For anyone exploring the Great Plains, the Joslyn is one of the region's genuine cultural treasures - as good as anything you'd find in cities twice Omaha's size.