Frist Art Museum

The Frist Art Museum, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is a significant cultural and architectural landmark. It was originally constructed as the main post office from 1933 to 1934, exhibiting a blend of classicism and Art Deco styles. The building, faced in white Georgia marble with gray-pink Minnesota granite, is an example of “starved” or “stripped” classicism, while the interior features more decorative Art Deco elements.

In 1984, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. By the early 1990s, there was a community-driven initiative to establish a major new visual arts facility in Nashville. The underused post office building was identified as a suitable location for this purpose. Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Jr., and his family, through the Frist Foundation, led the effort to create the art center. The building’s ownership transferred to the City of Nashville in 1998 for the purpose of creating the Frist Art Museum, with the remaining post office relocating to a part of the building.

The Frist Art Museum opened in 2001 and operates as a non-collecting museum, meaning it has no permanent exhibits. Instead, it curates and hosts a variety of exhibitions, ranging from works from prestigious collections around the world to award-winning shows organized in-house. Exhibitions change every few months, providing visitors with a constantly evolving experience.

Some notable past exhibitions include “Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage,” which was the first major museum exhibition devoted to this subject, “Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West,” showcasing works by Raqib Shaw, and “Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature,” celebrating the creative and ecological achievements of the beloved English author and illustrator.

The museum is also home to the Martin ArtQuest Gallery, an interactive space designed for guests of all ages and abilities to explore exhibition concepts through hands-on learning. The museum offers educational programs and community outreach activities, aligning with its mission to inspire people through art to look at their world in new ways.
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Frist Art Museum
919 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37203