Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

A great winter morning seeing an array of art from all periods.
So much to see and even a café serving lunch.
Fyi…most libraries have free passes to lend.

It was a fun experience and we want early in the day, so it was like we had the whole place to ourselves.
We went on the bank of America day so it was free, and I love being able to enjoy the experience and not feeling like I had to «get my money’s worth».

I love it here! Beautiful collections artfully curated. So many happy memories as both a child and an adult. This place is what made me fall in love with Museums.

I guess if you are not an art lover, the renovations to the museum might suit you just fine. I noticed that many reviewers commented on the food, the Christmas trees, music, snacks, movies, having a wedding there, etc. etc. But for those of us who love art already, I’m not convinced that what the current director has done (don’t worry, they tend not to stay around too long) will bring in more art lovers. Probably it will bring in some gawkers. It’s as if the Third Mrs. Trump hired a decorator to pimp out her living room, and then hired a flak to sell tickets to see it. Then, there is the matter of personal taste. I do not visit museums to see china and furniture. Some people do. Most museums respect individual taste, and have rooms set aside for the furnishings, but not the Wadsworth as configured now. To find a painting I’d long loved, I had a long and difficult trek. I first consulted the museum map, ran up and down stairs and through corridors and still didn’t find it. I tripped over cases of china and glassware that looked like they were refugees from my great aunt Alice’s foyer, and dodged furniture placed in the middle of nowhere for some unknown purpose. Then, I asked three guards about the painting/​era/​school (you name the descriptor… I tried it) but all I got were blank stares. And frankly I suppose I shouldn’t expect that they would know where anything is when paintings are no longer grouped by period or school. Finally, we were totally frustrated and we gave up. There were paintings hung near the ceiling in the great hall that could only be seen by bats at night. So, I guess I could be wrong. Maybe this new scheme will attract lots of new visitors. But Hartford had a GREAT museum without pandering, and I’m convinced it could be great again. Bring back blockbuster traveling exhibits. Get some staff to give tours instead of the doddering docents who don’t really understand what they are talking about. My advice: believe the best of Hartford, and stop pandering. And wake me when the current director moves on.

Now with the renovations 90% complete I am floored! This museum is such a gem to have 15 minutes away from home.
The First Thursday events are especially great with music, snacks and movies always involving a certain theme.
I also love that they have Second Saturdays for families and the Hartford community.

Good lord, what a stunning museum. No really deep collection of any style, but a wide and comprehensive collection of Renaissance through modern. We went for a show of Andy Warhol’s Guise and Dolls, along with photos by Mapplethorpe — a fabulous collection of his drag queen prints, with accompanying photos and videos.
A nice surprise lagniappe was the café: really beautiful small plates like a cheese plate with apple and a cube of honeycomb; lobster bisque; pretty desserts and good coffee.
Hartford is kind of sketchy, but it’s worth dealing with that for such a gem. Only $ 10 to get in, too, and my friend got in with nothing but her bank card.

The Wadsworth is definitely my new favorite spot in Hartford. What an amazing collection and beautiful space!
Definitely try to snag a museum tour, which are on the top of the hour. Every docent has a different collection of art to show you, and you will definitely learn something new and practically travel through art history time in an hour. You will learn a lot about the museum itself, too. The collection is varied and nicely curated.
Their museum store is also pretty awesome. It includes some Hartford goodies and also has a robust children’s area.
I have started to take all my friends and family who visit us to this museum — and with good reason! There’s no reason to delay your visit.

Because I had my college ID on me my admission was free! Beautiful art work and sculptures. Nice little gift shop near the entrance if you want to buy a souvenir. In a busy location in downtown Hartford but you can grab a bite to eat before leaving the museum, they do have a café but the museum is also surround by tons of restaurants.

Extremely impressed with my recent visit to the a Wadsworth. The recent renovations are extremely impressive and the museum looks better than ever. The museum is always great, but the best part of this visit was the food. If you have the chance to eat at the café, do it. Absolutely amazing food and specialty fall cocktails. This is a great spot to visit and you can actually go to the café without paying for the museum, you just have to visit the desk and tell them you’re only going to the café. The staff is all wonderful — the curators and the bartenders. I found out the host weddings in their newly renovated great hall. I imagine that the wedding food is even more impressive than the café food. Overall, great experience.

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art was founded in 1842 and lays claim to being the first public museum of the arts in the U.S. Since that time it has experienced periods of expansion (particularly reflected in its campus of architecturally distinct although interconnected buildings) as well as difficulty. The collection includes fine and decorative arts from ancient times (a limited number of works from the Americas, Egypt, Greece and Rome) through Western European and American art history and continues to grow today. The Wadsworth’s holdings include many masterworks, among them paintings by Cranch, Van Dyck, Strozzi, Zurbaran, Hals, Lorraine, Poussin, Courbet, Delacroix, Ernst, Manet, Monet, Gauguin, Mondrian, Picasso and Pollock; however, like all museums, they have also had major works «reattributed,» in their case including the particularly painful loss of no less than four oils which at the times of their acquisition were thought to be by Rembrandt.
Special strengths at the Wadsworth include its collection of Hudson River School and other nineteenth century American paintings, among them works by Cole, Church, Bierstadt, Kensett and Martin Johnson Heade’s every-​popular comedic canvas, Gremlin in the Studio (1875). It is also known for holding the collection of colonial and early American furniture put together by Wallace Nutting the acquisition of which was funded by J.P. Morgan, Jr. in 1926. And following that, for its acquisition of major Baroque and contemporary works under the directorship of A. Everett «Chick» Austin, Jr., just a trio of whose outstanding purchases included The Finding of Vulcan on Lemnos by Piero de Cosimo (circa 1490) in 1932, Apparition of Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach by Salvador Dali, bought in 1939, just one year after it was painted, and Ecstasy of St. Francis by Caravaggio (circa 1594) acquired in 1943. In more recent years it received a major gift of abstract expressionist paintings by American masters from sculptor Tony Smith and his wife Jane and of furniture and other decorative arts by Gustav Stickley and other American arts and crafts designers from dealer Stephen Gray.
In recent years the Wadsworth has also suffered through building expansion plans that were scraped only after key works in its collection were already committed to travel during the planned renovation and difficulty serving a changing community. In September 2015 portions of the collection that in some cases have not been on view for decades are again displayed which is welcomed; although unfortunately it does not fully resolve the museum’s challenges. The current installation of its American galleries, for example, takes the visitor over multiple floors of multiple buildings which while containing many great works of fine and decorative arts fail to provide a chronological progression that allows one to gain a full understanding of how they connect. The Museum hosts regular special exhibitions. In the past the Wadsworth also featured an outstanding restaurant, and one can only hope that someday an equivalent will return. It has a modest gift and book shop, but lacks its own parking which can be difficult to find on adjacent streets. The historically separate buildings connect with steps on some levels which can make access to them (and also to facilities) difficult.

Hartford, are you telling me that I can spend as much time as I want strolling through the Wadsworth Museum taking in works of art by Picasso, Monet and other greats, all for a ten spot? Count me in. This is an amazing place to spend an afternoon. Don’t miss this museum while visiting Hartford. I’m sure glad I did!

If you have a Bank of America debit or credit card, the regular $ 10 admission fee is waived on the first full weekend of every month through BoA’s «Museums on Us» program. We visited on a recent Saturday during the Fine Arts & Flowers exhibit (for which we incurred a $ 3 surcharge– no big deal in light of the free admission) and Coney Island exhibit.
The Fine Arts & Flowers exhibit was really unique. Local florists were paired with specific paintings from the Museum’s collection, and they created arrangements inspired by the artwork. Those arrangements were on display next to the paintings, and it was fun to see what everyone came up with. I think this is an annual event in May, so keep your eyes peeled next spring!
The Coney Island exhibit was objectively impressive– the collection was large and comprised of a variety of objects in different mediums– but I didn’t get that much mileage out of it. Maybe I’m just not that into amusement parks?
The Museum’s permanent collection is large, and the Hudson River School collection, for which they are well known, is awesome. The paintings of the Connecticut region are worth checking out if you’re interested in the state’s history.

Don’t let the stodgy name scare you away — this place is great!
I’ve been 2x in the last year for special exhibits and plan to come more regularly. The art this museum exhibits is world class. Last year we caught the Impressionists exhibit tour and outside of the Louvre, I’ve never seen so many beautiful masterpieces in one gallery.
Last night, we went to the First Thursday Block Party and it was a blast. What a great way to spend $ 5 on a warm, Thursday evening — outside at the museum (under the big red sculpture), enjoying free entertainment and reasonably priced food/​drinks in the same theme as their newest exhibit — Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland. The $ 5 included entrance to the museum, too. This has to be the best deal in town!
I can’t wait to go back to the museum and to another First Thursday event!
WTG, Wadsworth!

This place is awesome and located right in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. It’s a great place for kids and so many things to look at. I loved the Coney Island section. I think if you are visiting Hartford this is a great place to visit.

As a native of Connecticut I have been to the Wadsworth (the oldest continually-​operating museum in the US) countless times growing up — from school sponsor field trips to Saturday afternoons with my parents.
However, until recently, I did not realize the depth of its art collection as well as the substantial number of cultural events. I had the pleasure of attending the recent Coney Island Exhibit Opening — which they have been curating for 5 years! In addition to putting together this huge traveling exhibit — the staff has been diligently working to complete renovations to this historic building. I had no idea that it has been over 50 years since the ENTIRE museum was open to the public. That blows my mind — as the many times I have been there I have been awestruck by room after room of art work from every corner of the globe. You can pretty much find any style of art that might interest you and with the renovations — after September 2015 there will be even more for patrons to explore.
In addition to their vast art collection — the museum does a lot of out reach with City residents as well as opens it’s doors after hours for themed First Thursdays. A great way to see artwork from a different perspective. It almost makes me feel a little like a character in Night at the Museum (but without the T-​Rex)
The Wadsworth might not be as big or «popular» as some of the other art museums in the area but check it out and I think you will be pleasantly surprised at what a gem of a museum the City of Hartford has in its back yard.

The oldest continually-​operating public art museum in the United States, The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is truly a local treasure.
Every Second Saturday the Wadsworth offers free admission from 10am — 1pm. This past weekend, I was able to enjoy the ever-​changing collections and see the many renovations The Wadsworth Atheneum has been undergoing (slated for completion in 2015) With significant holdings of French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School landscapes, modernist masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as extensive holdings in early American furniture and decorative arts — The Wadsworth has a rich compilation of many things New England and Connecticut. With frequent visiting collections and many cultural and seasonal events year-​round: it’s never a dull moment at The Wadsworth. First Thursdays are a personal favorite of mine. The Wadsworth provides an informal setting for folks to come together for an evening of conversation, food, and live music, and during warmer weather you get a real sense of community just hanging out with everyone. I’m glad there are events like First Thursday, they really bring Hartford together.
Located at 600 Main Street in a distinctive castle-​like building in downtown Hartford, The Wadsworth is a wonder of culture in an otherwise stale and uninspiring part of the «Insurance Capital of the World». Open street parking around the museum is typically rare, but if you happen to land a spot, the 4-​hour limit is nice. If you have a moment, do stop by and take in all this place has to offer. Exhibitions or events, The Wadsworth has something for everyone!

Every year I visit the Wadsworth for the festival of trees. This year the trees were placed in three different rooms through out the museum which allowed for an easier flow to view the trees. I also noticed this allowed visitors to take in more art that was up in the museum and potential explore more of the museum.
The atmosphere during this event will always get your spirits up for the holidays. Each of the trees entered into the exhibit is creatively decorated and available to buy. Not only are there ideas on tree décor, visitors can also view and purchase wreaths that are scattered around.

I always love First Thursdays at the Wadsworth during the summer. I mean, who doesn’t want to dive right into terrifically themed block parties on gorgeous summer nights?!
This past Thursday was the Caribbean themed event, to stretch Hartford’s Caribbean Festival out as long as possible, because it really is that good. They had lots of craft tables for the kids, food, liquor, and Hooker beer tents. Pretty much everything you could ever want. Oh, and spray tattoos. Obviously.
My favorite part of the evening was the amazing music and dance performances. The De 4 AhWee Steel Band performed, and the Amandla Reggae Band kept us dancing all night. On top of that, the Caribbean American Dance Company took it up a notch and hit everyone with some awesome dance moves in traditional Caribbean Carnival costumes. Let’s not forget the guys on stilts, dancing around like it was no big deal.
There’s always a theme movie being shown, which is included in the price of admission (only $ 5!!!), but I never make it down in time, as I’m always too busy dancing in the streets. This month it was ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.‘
It was indeed another festive party, another spectacular evening, and another one for the books for the Wadsworth!

Even if you have never been to a museum and are not an art connoisseur you should still visit this place. I like art but never knew how to appreciate or differentiate and spot the subtleties between different paintings that are 300 years or even older. We decided to join the museum tour. Our tour guide was Elizabeth. She told us that she will focus on the theme «faces».
So starts our journey from a portrait to another. There’s a story in every portrait not just of q person on canvas but also of the artist. The exhibits range from paintings from famous artists that are antiques to modern art, from contemporary to pop culture and various sculptures. We did not have enough time to go back and revisit other paintings that were not part of the tour. So I will be visiting the museum again.
I am thankful to Elizabeth for bringing me closer to art and patiently answer any questions. The details one can see in these paintings at a museum cannot be matched by pictures on a computer. This is a huge place and you can possibly spend an entire day here. If you are not a museum enthusiast you must go on a guided tour. You will possibly become a convert just like me.
They do charge $ 10 but if you are a univ. student and get your id it is $ 5. If you are at Uconn your id gets you a free entry. With the magnitude of the exhibits and the cost of upkeep this fee is justified. Hope you enjoy the visit as much as I did.

Fun fact: the Wadsworth atheneum is the oldest public art museum in the country.
I took a tour recently and was impressed. I also learned that JP Morgan was a Hartford native. The largest work they have is a house on Scarborough in West Hartford that I drive by several times a week. I would definitely pay the museum a visit. It will surprise you how many works by renowned artists they have. You’ll also learn quite a bit about Hartford and the world.