Visitors Guide to Visual Arts Attractions
Metropolitan Saint Louis

Saint Louis is home to a vibrant art scene. New and revitalized institutions, along with world-class architecture and public sculpture can be found throughout the city and county. The Saint Louis Art Museum in Forest Park is one of the nation's leading comprehensive art museums containing more than 30,000 works of art of exceptional quality from virtually every culture and time period. The Grand Center neighborhood is home to the midtown arts district with five free museums – the Saint Louis University Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, and the Sheldon Art Galleries - within blocks of each other. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis contains the largest mosaic collection in the world. Created by 20 different artists, the mosaic artwork covers 83,000 square feet and took over 75 years to complete. The Laumeier Sculpture Park in suburban Kirkwood is a 105-acre open-air museum in Saint Louis County that features over 80 works of contemporary sculpture by internationally acclaimed artists.

Art Saint Louis
Saint Louis, MO
The Art Saint Louis Gallery is located in downtown Saint Louis in the historic Park Pacific building and presents juried theme based exhibits year-round in its downtown gallery as well as at off-site locations. These exhibits feature the works of artists aged 21 and older that reside within a 200-mile radius of Saint Louis with new exhibits being presented approximately every eight weeks.

Grace Taylor Broughton Sculpture Garden
Saint Louis, MO
The Grace Taylor Broughton Sculpture Garden thoughtfully marries masterworks with landscape design and architecture. This exciting outdoor gallery showcases the Saint Louis Art Museum's strong, international collection of 20th century and contemporary sculpture.

Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
Saint Louis, MO
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, also known as the "New Cathedral," is the crown jewel of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis. A magnificent structure, the cathedral is Romanesque in style on the exterior and Byzantine on the interior. The interior features mosaics comprised of over 41,000,000 glass tesserae tiles using over 8,000 shades of color whose designs tell stories of faith and history. The Mosaic Museum, with displays on the construction of the building and the creation of its mosaics, is on the lower level of the cathedral.

COCA
St. Louis, MO
COCA (Center of Creative Arts) has been providing meaningful arts experiences to Saint Louis for two decades. COCA is the largest multidisciplinary arts institution and one of the most valuable community assets in the Saint Louis metropolitan area. At COCA you will find performances... classes... art galleries... summer camps... places to hold your special event... exhibits... a world of learning, a world of the arts. COCA is housed in a 60,000 square foot building designed by world-renowned architect Eric Mendelsohn.

Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
Saint Louis, MO
The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis is a non-collecting museum that features changing exhibitions of visual art. The museum is recognized nationally for the quality of its exhibitions and education programs and is located in Grand Center, an arts and entertainment district in midtown Saint Louis, adjacent to the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.

Craft Alliance Center Of Art + Design
St. Louis, MO
Established in 1964, the Craft Alliance provides inspiration and education in contemporary craft to a national community of artists, collectors, students and the art-viewing public. It does this through every creative stage by exhibiting artists' work, educating all levels of students, encouraging art collectors and offering free classes and family programs. With expanded space for its myriad programming in the near future, Craft Alliance has relocated its Grand Center and Delmar Loop facilities to its flagship in the Delmar Maker District.

Cupples House
Saint Louis, MO
The Samuel Cupples House is located on the campus of Saint Louis University. This historic mansion is a rare example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in St. Louis. The 42-room, castle-like mansion was built by wealthy St. Louis entrepreneur Samuel Cupples and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been restored to its original splendor with many of its opulent original furnishings and is open for public tours. The McNamee Gallery houses educational exhibitions and art exhibits.

Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
Saint Louis, MO
The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, formerly known as the Washington University Gallery of Art, has what is considered one the finest University collections in the country. In operation since 1881 it is the oldest art museum west of the Mississippi river. The museum exhibits works from the its permanent collection, special loan exhibits, student and faculty shows. The permanent collection includes 19th and 20th century American and European paintings, sculptures and prints as well as major contemporary works.

Laumeier Sculpture Park
Sunset Hills, MO
Laumeier Sculpture Park is a 105-acre open-air museum featuring over 80 works of contemporary sculpture. Sculptures are exhibited in a museum and outdoors on landscaped lawns or woodland trails. Exhibitions and a multitude of cultural events are held each year. There is no admission to the park.

The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts
Saint Louis, MO
The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts is housed in a concrete building designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando and situated in Saint Louis' Grand Center district. It holds the private art collection of Joseph Pulitzer, Jr. The Museum and presents changing exhibitions and engages in a variety of programming initiatives involving the visual, literary, and performing arts.

The Gallery at the Regional Arts Commission
Saint Louis, MO
The Gallery at the Regional Arts Commission is committed to fostering, encouraging and promoting visual art in Saint Louis by exhibiting the work of local artists and providing opportunities for local curators. The gallery is a 35’ x 25’ white box space, with one wall of 12’ floor to ceiling glass doors that open directly onto the street level, allowing exhibits to be in full view of passersby.  By special invitation, guest curators compose group exhibitions, each featuring works that explore a specific discourse.

St. Louis Artists' Guild
Clayton, MO
Established in 1886, the St. Louis Artists' Guild is the oldest and largest visual arts center in the Midwest. It promotes visual arts by presenting exhibitions and educational programs and sponsoring many national, regional and local competitions with cash awards. In 2015 the Artists’ Guild moved to the new facilities in the old Famous Barr building in downtown Clayton.

Saint Louis Art Museum
Saint Louis, MO
The Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the nation's leading comprehensive art museums, containing more than 30,000 works of art of exceptional quality from virtually every culture and time period. Admission to the Museum and its collection is free every day. Admission fees to featured exhibitions vary; admission to featured exhibitions is always free on Fridays.

Saint Louis University Museum of Art
Saint Louis, MO
The Saint Louis University Museum of Art is located in a recently restored 55,000-square-foot turn-of-the-century building on the Saint Louis University campus. The museum houses the University's extensive art collection in a series of intimate galleries where visitors can view art and artifacts relevant to Jesuit philosophy and the ideals of liberal arts education. In addition the museum features traveling exhibitions in an inviting setting which is available and accessible to the community, the region, and the world.

Sheldon Art Galleries
Saint Louis, MO
Founded in 1998, the Sheldon Art Galleries are located in the heart of Grand Center, Saint Louis's vibrant cultural district. The galleries are a part of the Sheldon Arts Foundation that is also home to the world-class Sheldon Concert Hall built in 1912. The Galleries feature over 7,000 square of space devoted to changing exhibitions of painting, printmaking, photography, architecture, sculpture, installation work, jazz history and children's art.

For Travelers Heading Up River

Meeting the Missouri River
The two longest rivers of the United States, the Missouri and the Mississippi, meet at Saint Charles County, Missouri. The Historic Saint Charles downtown area offers visitors a variety of attractions including the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center, The Foundry Art Centre, and Missouri’s First State Capitol. Nearby is Confluence State Park and the Daniel Boone Home.

For Travelers Across the River

Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway
The Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway area is one of America’s newer scenic byways. With over 20,000 acres of forest and wetlands at the heart of the Mississippi Flyway, it is a nature lovers paradise. Visitors will find spectacular colors in the fall and bald eagles in the winter. History abounds in the region ranging from the prehistoric Cahokia Mounds to sites on the National Register of Historic Places.

For Travelers Heading Down River

French Colonial Country
Down river of Saint Louis and the Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway area is Ste. Genevieve, Missouri and Randolph County, Illinois. This area was heavily influenced by the French fur traders who inhabited the region from 1700 to 1840.

Explore Metropolitan Saint Louis