Western American Art Galleries

The new galleries are a culmination of the Petrie Institute of Western American Art’s ambitious program and strategy. Since its founding in 2001, the Petrie Institute has become the leader in the field through scholarly research and programming including more than 18 books, 24 exhibitions, and 15 years of annual symposia.

Essential to the Petrie Institute’s evolution has been the growth of the collection through the procurement of strategic acquisitions and significant gifts. Important acquisitions include the collections of William and Dorothy Harmsen (2001) Henry C. Roath (2013), and Dr. George C. and Cathryn M. Peck (2014). The curators have also focused on diversifying the collection. These efforts have resulted in better representation of historically under-recognized perspectives, including those of women and people of color working in an array of mediums and styles. Through this acquisition strategy, the Petrie Institute is able to more holistically present the complex and inherently diverse story of Western American art.

The Petrie Institute’s collection of Western American art has particular strengths in the Taos Society of Artists, Early Modernism, and 19th century bronze sculpture. Today, it stands as one of the finest collections of its kind and, because of its unique location in the Rocky Mountain West, allows the Denver Art Museum to tell the story of American art from a Western perspective