Branton Museum of Art (Austin, Texas, USA)

Austin, Texas, USA. After appreciating the fulfilling Latin American artworks, come across a sight that feels the friendliness of the people of Texas. 

A museum in Austin, Texas, USA. It is on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. This is annex to the University. Exhibitions centered on contemporary art are being held. It is one of the largest university museums in the United States. The university museum has a strong impression that it is occupied by old paintings, but it is a rare museum by modern and contemporary artworks. By the way, Janis Joplin, a well-known rock musician in the late 1960s, has dropped out of the University of Texas at Austin.

The museum building consists of two parts. Entering the site from the road, the building on the right is where the artworks are exhibited, and on the left is the cafe, shops, and other facilities. When entered the building and pass the reception, there is a space up to the ceiling, and objects are hanging.

A special exhibition was on the first floor, and when I visited, it was contemporary art in Central and South America. The explanations are written in both Spanish and English, and its way shows the good taste of this museum. Many Latin American artworks are colorful and energetic, but even in the United States, the museums where has many collections are limited. In this point of view, this is a valuable museum.

The second floor is a permanent exhibition, divided into European, American and Latin rooms. Old religious paintings in the European rooms, but most of the others were contemporary artworks. There are exciting contemporary artworks in American and Latin rooms. By the way, there was an artwork by Yayoi Kusama.

In the back of the plaza between the two buildings, there is a building with a church motif, and there are artworks with stained glass inside, which is excellent. A female clerk was sitting in a chair and it was impressive that she waved her right hand while saying “Thank you” when I am leaving the building.

After this happening, when I was driving a car and gave way to a car coming from the opposite side, the female driver was waving at me, probably this reaction is not a coincidence. This action may be normal here. I felt it friendly and I was impressed. 

People in Texas is friendly. They call out to me casually, and when their eyes meet, they greet me. Depending on how you feel it, it might be friendlier than the West Coast. The friendliness around here and the act of waving by the woman mentioned above may be related.

In addition to the Blanton Museum of Art, there are other great museums in Texas. The “Fort Worth Museum of Contemporary Art in Fort Worth” and the “Dallas Museum of Art” in Dallas are especially recommended. I hope you will visit these museums addition to this “Blanton Museum of Art”.

Visited in 2019.

​Basic Information

​■ Name of Place : Branton Museum of Art 
■ Address : 200 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX, USA
​■ Homepage:https://blantonmuseum.org/

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