Founded in 1926 by an early colony of impressionists artists, the Brown County Art Gallery has supported Indiana artists, past, present, and future for nearly 100 years. Our 15,000 square foot facility is home to 60 working artists as well as an important permanent collection of historic art.
The art center has more than 15,000 square feet of exhibition space, a working art studio, and a Permanent Collection of historic Brown County Art, including the nationally recognized Gustave Baumann room.
The Gallery’s Baumann Collection shows nearly all of Baumann’s work in Indiana. Baumann was working as a commercial artist in Chicago when he heard about the Art Colony forming in Brown County. This German immigrant had long wanted to experiment with his woodblock art form by transitioning from a commercial artist to fine art. He paid a visit to Brown County and stayed for several years, perfecting his craft. Eventually Baumann moved to Santa Fe, where he became world famous, but he once said he always had “Indiana on his mind.”
The Gallery has recreated the studio of William Zimmerman, providing insight into the intricacy and accuracy of the work of one of America's greatest bird artists. In addition, the gallery's collection holds 86 paintings by Glen Cooper Henshaw, one of Indiana's most famous 20th-century artists.
Credit: Overview from museum website