St. Louis Museum of Art

Like many area attractions, the St. Louis Art Museum is free to the public.  Even its special exhibits are free to the public on Fridays.  Located in Forest Park, the museum was originally constructed as part of the Palace of Fine Arts for the 1904 World's Fair, also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.  Architect Cass Gilbert was inspired by the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, Italy.  The Museum was the only building from the Fair designed to be a permanent structure, the "one material monument of the Exposition." 

Construction began in 2009 on the addition designed by British architect Sir David Chipperfield which will add 224,000 square feet, including above ground gallery space and underground parking.  It will be completed in 2012.  Most of the addition is in the back of the building, so the beautiful facade will remain in tact.

Directly across from the Museum is this lovely view of the area known as Art Hill.  Popular for picnics, kite flying, running, and sledding, this area is used year round.  Many massive windows throughout the Museum take advantage of the view.

Entry hall to the Museum.

I was very impressed with the Museum.  At this time, it's not so large to the point where it is overwhelming like so many well known art museums.  That may change with the new addition.

From an amateur art connoisseur, the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist hall is probably the most impressive.  It is filled with Monet, Cezanne, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Degas' "La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans" (Little Dancer of Fourteen Years").  Picasso, Matisse, Gauguin are more of the European masters that fill the walls of the galleries.

Its collections of Oceanic and Pre-Columbian works are considered to be one of the finest in the world. 

Tony's favorite galleries were the ones filled with arms and armor.  I will admit that some of the old guns were very pretty.  True show stoppers.

Which brings us to my favorite gallery.  The Museum is also home to the Egyptian mummy Amen-Nestawy-Nakht, and two mummies on loan from Washington University.  The plaques on the wall even provide x-rays of the  bodies contained within the wraps.