The Indiana University Art Museum opened in 1941 under the direction of Henry Radford Hope. The museum was intended to be the center of a “cultural crossroads,” an idea brought forth by then-Indiana University President Herman B Wells. The present museum building was designed by I.M. Pei and Partners and dedicated in 1982. The museum’s collection comprises approximately 40,000 objects, with about 1,400 on display. The collection is substantiated by a wide range of works, including a large collection of ancient jewelry and paintings by Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock. The museum is a 2012 recipient of an Andrew J. Mellon Foundation endowment challenge grant, a $500,000 award.
The museum is free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays 10:00 a.m.—5pm, and Sundays noon–5:00pm, and is located on the Indiana University Bloomington campus at 1133 E. Seventh Street.