It must be love. What else but a love affair between a city and her artists could explain more than a century of fine art emphasizing a Charleston perspective?
Built in 1905, the Gibbes Museum of Art represents a long and impressive tradition of cultural leadership in historic Charleston. As Charleston's only art museum, the Gibbes maintains approximately 10,000 objects that directly support its mission to collect, conserve and interpret an American fine arts collection with a distinct Charleston point of view.
The various collections include objects that reflect the patronage of the area. Among the most valuable works at the Gibbes are 18th, 19th and early 20th century paintings; works on paper, such as prints, drawings, watercolors and photographs; miniature portraits; and sculptures. The objects in each medium serve to reinforce the history of Charleston as a key colonial and antebellum city, as well as a popular tourist destination today.
The Gibbes is home to more than 500 paintings by historically prominent American artists, including Henrietta Johnson, America's first professional female artist. Other contributors include Benjamin West, Washington Allston, Charles Willson Peale, Rembrandt Peale, Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Sully and Conrad Wise Chapman.
The works on paper are by various national and regional artists and printmakers. The significance of the works on paper is evident through the art of the 1920s and 1930s, which is considered an important contribution to Charleston's cultural rebirth in the early 20th century.
The works on paper sets include three specific collections. One is a collection of early 20th-century photographs collected by Charlestonian Robert Marks, a journalist for Harper's Magazine. Another is the Japanese wood-block print compilation amassed by Harvard professor Motte Alston Read, who returned to Charleston in 1918 and assembled a survey of the prints. The third is the Ballard Collection, composed of 300 European prints dating from the 17th century to the 19th century, including examples by Piranesi, Goya and Rembrandt.
The collection of miniature portraits at the Gibbes includes early American examples that date from the early 18th century to the early 19th century. The miniature portraits, among the more specialized forms of art, comprise one of the most outstanding collections in the country.
The museum's sculpture collection features objects by American artists from the 18th century through the present. Artists such as Horatio Greenough, Hiram Powers, Anna Hyatt Huntington and Richmond Barthe contributed to the collection.
The Gibbes also maintains an archive devoted to the history of the Carolina Art Association, founded in 1858. Often a source for research and historic preservation, the archive includes historical photographs and documents that trace the architectural and cultural development of the city.
Residents and visitors are enriched through the museum's distinguished collection and an active, year-round schedule of exciting exhibitions, programs and special events. Exhibits and events at the Gibbes are among the predominant attractions during Charleston's yearly Spoleto Festival.
Among the events are programs for families and schools, art classes for all ages, weekly lectures and an interdisciplinary educational program that encourages middle and high school students to create poetry or art inspired by art on display in the Gibbes' permanent collections. The Gibbes cultivates art education not only through collecting, displaying and interpreting works of art but also through encouraging the use of the museum as a teaching resource.
With a diverse collection of art dating back to the 16th century, the museum provides a comprehensive look at Charleston's history and society not found anywhere else, all of which further nourishes the love between artist and city through another generation of inspired and inspiring creativity.
For a guide to Arts and Antiques shopping in Charleston, click here.
Spotlight
Don't miss the Audubon Gallery. A Charleston destination since 1987, The Audubon Gallery is the only local gallery that specializes in the finest Natural History and Sporting Art from the 17th through the 20th centuries. You'll find a magnificent selection of Audubon's "Birds of America" as well as other highly acclaimed Natural History Art by Besler, Catesby, Redouté, Gould and others. The gallery is a sportsman’s paradise with a large assortment of paintings and etchings of days afield and favorite hunting dogs, as well as antique wildfowl decoys and wood carvings by local artisans. It offers truly archival museum quality framing and conservation for works of art on paper to protect and present your most treasured pieces. Located on 177 King Street, Charleston. www.audubonart.com
Bocci's - a great Italian restaurant in historic downtown Charleston. USA Today has called Bocci's one of the leading Italian restaurants in the United States. Bocci's is ably managed by Kelly Cooper who sees that the young attractive staff knows exactly what they're talking about when they describe the excellent menu as well as nightly specials and ensures that the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.
Spring Island - It was the first of its kind. It is the last of its kind. A 3,000-acre maritime forest surrounded by 3,500 acres of pristine marsh, tidal creeks and A-Class rivers, 33 fresh water and salt water fishing ponds. All this for fewer than 400 families. A 1,200-acre nature preserve sets the tone for the life here, on one of the most spectacular islands on the waterways between Savannah and Charleston.
Julia Santen Gallery - Original vintage poster art. A glimpse of European advertising at the turn of the 20th Century. Covering the walls of the gallery are large splashes of color inviting you to the Moulin Rouge, offering you champagne and brashly selling you cigarette papers. The gallery’s selection includes the Belle Epoch, Art Nouveau, art Deco and contemporary periods.
It must be love. What else but a love affair between a city and her artists could explain more than a century of fine art emphasizing a Charleston perspective?
The various collections include objects that reflect the patronage of the area. Among the most valuable works at the Gibbes are 18th, 19th and early 20th century paintings; works on paper, such as prints, drawings, watercolors and photographs; miniature portraits; and sculptures. The objects in each medium serve to reinforce the history of Charleston as a key colonial and antebellum city, as well as a popular tourist destination today.
The works on paper are by various national and regional artists and printmakers. The significance of the works on paper is evident through the art of the 1920s and 1930s, which is considered an important contribution to Charleston's cultural rebirth in the early 20th century.
The museum's sculpture collection features objects by American artists from the 18th century through the present. Artists such as Horatio Greenough, Hiram Powers, Anna Hyatt Huntington and Richmond Barthe contributed to the collection.
Residents and visitors are enriched through the museum's distinguished collection and an active, year-round schedule of exciting exhibitions, programs and special events. Exhibits and events at the Gibbes are among the predominant attractions during Charleston's yearly Spoleto Festival.
Bocci's - a great Italian restaurant in historic downtown Charleston. USA Today has called Bocci's one of the leading Italian restaurants in the United States. Bocci's is ably managed by Kelly Cooper who sees that the young attractive staff knows exactly what they're talking about when they describe the excellent menu as well as nightly specials and ensures that the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.
Spring Island - It was the first of its kind. It is the last of its kind. A 3,000-acre maritime forest surrounded by 3,500 acres of pristine marsh, tidal creeks and A-Class rivers, 33 fresh water and salt water fishing ponds. All this for fewer than 400 families. A 1,200-acre nature preserve sets the tone for the life here, on one of the most spectacular islands on the waterways between Savannah and Charleston. 
Julia Santen Gallery - Original vintage poster art. A glimpse of European advertising at the turn of the 20th Century. Covering the walls of the gallery are large splashes of color inviting you to the Moulin Rouge, offering you champagne and brashly selling you cigarette papers. The gallery’s selection includes the Belle Epoch, Art Nouveau, art Deco and contemporary periods.
