City: Louisville, KY

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (502) 634-2700

Address: 2035 South Third St.

Description: Established in 1927 by Hattie Bishop Speed as a memorial to her late husband, the Speed Art Museum is Kentucky’s oldest and largest art museum. Located next to the University of Louisville’s Belknap Campus, the museum serves more than 180,000 visitors annually. More than 13,000 pieces make up its permanent collection, an extensive compilation that spans 6,000 years and ranges from ancient Egyptian to contemporary art. On display are a variety of paintings, sculpture, furniture, and decorative arts created for Kentuckians by Kentucky artists. The museum also has distinguished collections of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish works; Renaissance and Baroque tapestries;18th-century French art; and significant holdings of contemporary American paintings and sculpture. Native American and African-American pieces constitute a growing segment of the museum’s collection. In keeping with its ambitious mission of bringing great art and people together, the museum has brought major exhibitions of painting, design, photography, and sculpture to the region since undergoing a major $12 million renovation and expansion in 1997. Open daily except Monday, the Speed doesn’t charge admission to view its permanent collection. Free tours of the “Best of the Collection” are available every weekend and when the museum is open late on Thursdays.