permanent collection

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art’s permanent collection of paintings highlights Italian Renaissance and Baroque as well as British, French Impressionists, and 20th century artists. The Kress Collection is a magnificent assembly of some of the best of this philanthropist’s Renaissance paintings. The Brooks has one of the finest collections of English portraiture in the South, with works by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Lawrence, and Romney, among others. Impressionists include Pissarro and Renoir. Winslow Homer, Thomas Hart Benton, Childe Hassam, and Robert Henri are just a few of the Americans represented at the museum. Many well-known figures in contemporary art are in the Fogelman Loan Collection, including Kenneth Noland, Robert Motherwell, and Nancy Graves.

One of the more noted collections is that of an internationally acclaimed regional artist, originally from Arkansas, who lived in Memphis during the latter part of his life: Carroll Cloar.

The Brooks offers an impressive selection of 19th and 20th century sculpture and decorative arts, including period furniture and textiles. The collection also includes a popular "global survey" of art: Ancient Greek and Mediterranean art; a rich, colorful collection from the Ancient Americas; and an award-winning survey of African art.

Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Caneletto (Italian, 1697-1768)
The Grand Canal from Campo di San Vio, 1730-1735
Oil on canvas
44 3/8" x 63 3/8" (112.7 cm x 161 cm)
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation 61.216