Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

It was an overall good time. We attended the Candle Light... Neo-Soul program there. The show started on time. The young lady that narrated it was very informative and energetic. It's a small theater, so there was no bad seat. The way they played their string instruments was amazing. The complimented each other well. The only, slight, drawback I had was my drink. A lot too much lemon juice and not enough whiskey. It was a drink I hadn't tried before, but the only thing on the menu with whiskey in it, so I dared. I think anyone attending Candle Light would enjoy it.

I attended a Candlelight Concert, and Brooks Museum was the perfect venue for it. Art was accessible, which provided the perfect atmosphere for the event. Staff was AMAZING!!! I'm planning to attend the museum for other events just because it's such a nice place and vibe.

I enjoyed a Candlelight Concert here. The venue was perfect for it. Small so there wasn't a bad seat anywhere. The staff did a good job of limiting any disruption to the concert and were all helpful and friendly. The concert was amazing. I'd definitely see another one.

The overall ambiance and experience was fantastic! My wife loved it! The String Quartet was great with the music selection, and the Brooks Museum Staff was professional and excellent!

Kayla was the barista/cashier at the museum cafe/gift shop. She was professional, not dismissive or preoccupied. Like good family, she is A treasure to that organization & to Tennessee!

Small and nice museum located in a large urban park, with a moderate entry fee (free entrance on Saturday mornings 10a-12p), and a nice cafe and gift shop where we enjoyed some good tea and cookies. Very friendly staff!

I had an amazing time. The atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming; and the people that work there were helpful and friendly. If you have not had the opportunity to visit, I highly recommend you go.

Awesome Museum full of Wonders and Art 🎨 I love ❤️ the event party and the Beautiful grounds of the Brooks Museum in Overton Park.

this was a great time. it all started with the staff members at the front desk, who were not only super nice, they were also efficient. there are 3 floors and at the time we visited, there was a gallery and/or activity going on. on top of that, there was a vendor market that was set to take place the next day (we wish we were able to attend... it looked like it as going to be really fun to as the vendors were setting up throughout the time we were there). the museum is massive and it reminds me of a museum back home that was originally a house. i could see this being a spot someone used to live at. the exhibitions were beautiful. i had to make sure there weren't any areas that we missed because there were so many rooms & so much art. sometimes spots like this can be free, sometimes they aren't. as there was a fee for this visit, it was very well worth it. i'd come back again & again & again. i liked their cafe, they had coffee soda that REALLY caught my eye & it's something i should've tried. there merch selection was good & also highlighted artwork from local artists, which is always a bonus.

I love visiting whether its an art exhibition, a fashion show or the craft food and wine festival, its always a vibe.. They also have pay what you can, previously on Wednesday. Not sure but, ask.. You can get specialty coffee and now they have delectable bites from a local craft woman, Christina's food is unforgettable. Perfect for dates, I've also seen people come with a photographer, beautiful location for photo shoots, senior heads, engagement are a couple they are known for. Very versatile environment.

Over the decades, my family and I have greatly enjoyed visiting this Memphis art institution. For a number of years, we were even museum members. Some of the featured exhibits have been extremely enjoyable. We've found the location and accessibility of this location within Overton Park to be quite workable and reasonably easy. Unfortunately for us, the museum is slated to move to downtown Memphis. This will probably end our visits, due to the added complexities of handicapped accessibility. The location in the Park has been relatively convenient, and we really wish that it could remain that way. Some changes are not necessarily for the better. In our case, the impending move downtown is unwelcome.

I had a wonderful experience at the Memphis Fashion Week fashion show. It was my first time and it was an event to remember. All the student designers and main designers showed off their talents in style! The music outside and the red carpet was a nice touch! I enjoyed it very much and recommend you go next year.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art located in the middle of Overton Park is the perfect spot to take your date on a Saturday morning. Admission is free from 10:00AM to noon every Saturday! Set aside 1-1.5 hours to view the 2 major art galleries. I especially enjoyed the European oil paintings.

Top notch smaller art museum, the Brooks has a great collection, and curates in a meaningful and foward-thinking manner. Enjoyed the Christian Siriano fashion retrospective much more than I thought I would. Fashion as art in a museum was a first for me. Enjoyed the focus on a few rooms focused on BIPOC artists, something that MoMA was called out on in 2020, and the Brooks is responding in daring ways. The Brooks had a string quartet and drinks on their veranda before a concert at the Overton, and is a perfect stop before a concert at the Levitt Shell. Top notch art museum!

What an awesome experience. The art, cafe pop up brunch (Toast N Jams) area, views etc!! Small menu options for a good conversation and refreshing small talk. Check out the book section.

What a beautiful museum! While visiting Memphis for the Lakers vs Grizzlies game we stopped by this museum to kill some time. I loved the different areas for the different types of art and enjoyed myself in the gift shop! They also have a cafe in the gift shop and the lattes are sooooo good! There was ample parking and the surrounding area by the museum was grassy and beautiful! I will definitely revisit the museum when I'm in the area again!

Attended the "Christian Siriano" exhibit at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Wow! What a beautiful display of clothing. True wearable pieces of art. The detail and colors are amazing!

Very nice and small art museum. We didn't plan for it, but there is free admission Saturday morning. I especially enjoyed the bottom floor which had a special exhibition from area middle school and high school students. Very impressive artwork from these younger artists.

The annual Lunar New Year Celebration is celebrated with many people from around the surrounding area. The celebration are from a dragon dance, music, dim sum, arts and crafts. The event is full of fun and entertainment. We will be celebrating with them next year.

On Saturday, we went to the Day of the Dead Festival, and it was so much fun! Because of the rain, it was moved indoors, and admission was free They were checking people in by what area code you live in and then give you an admission sticker. I like when you go to an event and the crowd is very diverse. I loved the outfits and facepaint the men and women donned. They're so intricate and colorful, and you have to admire the time, effort and tradition put behind them. They had vendors throughout, and a few arts and crafts areas. There were a lot of organizations tables from Orpheum Memphis, Metal Museum, La Prensa Latina, Shelby County Public Health, and several other tables to assist the Hispanic/Latin community from student support to additional community organizations. They also had a theater where they performed many dances. We also saw a mariachi band. side note: restrooms passed. A good thing considering how violated restrooms can look during a crowded event. The museum was open, so there was the chance to also look at the current exhibits. We found an area with a beautiful Persian rug converted to an art piece. After passing the rug, there was one art and craft area where you got to create your own flower using tissue paper and pipe cleaners. There was a volunteer at the table to give instructions. It was fun to do, and the flower turned out cute. We then walked around checking out some of the current exhibits, and there's an area dedicated to Maurice Sendak. He's the author of Where the Wild Things Are and other children's stories. They had a collaborative storyboard where you could look at everyone's drawings and contribute your own. Even if a brief scribble, how could I pass that up? The theater was across from the Maurice Sendak exhibit, where they had several different shows throughout the day. The theater area is kinda small, so it was rather warm inside. We caught a portion of the traditional dancers and went back upstairs. There was another area in the museum to purchase jewelry, clothing, dolls, art, magnets, children's books, candy, handbags, pens, etc. The room was so colorful and had a lot to choose from! Pricing varies from table to table. I usually like looking at what each table has and then deciding what I want, because sometimes you find something different that you enjoy more. The downside to that method is that you may want to go back to your original and it may not be there. It depends. Essentially, if you really LOVE IT on the spot, it's best to go ahead and get it. I got 2 pairs of earrings, with one set made out of corn husks. Within this area was one table that seemed a little out of place. The area had a set of paintings: one of Dr. King and the other of B.B. King. The paintings were nice and colorful, but the original artists weren't there. They had 2 reps that were providing candy and giving a brief description of the paintings. There was a random set of fried chicken on a foam plate in front of Dr. King's painting with a liquor bottle, then one lone piece of catfish in front of B.B. King's painting. It too looked out of place, so I asked her about the fried chicken and liquor and she said "it was his favorite". ...and I left it at that. It was a little weird, but the vendor area was still nice. The event began to wrap up because the rain started to come down. Before we left, there was the mariachi band playing and another set of dancers. We got a few more pictures before we left, and then the rain came. Luckily, not too hard though I'll give this one a rating: giving the dead a breath of life. This was definitely an event for all ages. Although Día de Los Muertos is a holiday dedicated to the remembrance of those who have passed on, it's a reminder that traditions and memories are held in different hands, through different hearts, and carried on many paths.

Great space with interesting exhibits that change out pretty often. There is a cute cafe inside with food and drinks. The Brooks museum is also great as a wedding venue! I went to a wedding here and was surprised by how spacious it is and beautiful it is for formal events.

Today was my first visit to the Brooks Museum and I was not disappointed! The Black American Portraits Exhibit was awesome! I can't wait to visit Brooks again, when the museum moves downtown.

The Brooks is deteriorating. Admission has skyrocketed to $18 for an adult. The ancient collection has disappeared, none of it is on view. The beautiful alcove in the medieval room has been closed off and most of the works there are now in storage. The museum is engaging in the censorship of art, removing works for political reasons (if you google "Brooks Museum of Art pulls portrait of President Andrew Jackson," you'll see the museum director wanted to 'take a break' from the portrait. A four year break, apparently). The excellent restaurant was booted after a fundraiser for children in Gaza (the director claimed all on-site fundraising should support the museum. This is not true, as the restaurant has held fundraisers before, including ones for Syria, Turkey, and a local indigenous advocacy group). The two stars are only because of the kindness of the folks working there, and the museum's participation in the 901 Art For All summer program.

This is a great museum. A great place for a date , friend date, alone time. It is a thoughtful place to go. It is a beloved museum of Memphis. Thank you Brooks !

What a beautiful place. From the moment you walk in the art and design of the place will captivate you. The Brooks Museum has been in the Memphis community for many years and they continue to inspire and engage the community in unique ways. This particular visit, I took a group of students for Wacky Wednesday. It is free to the community and they have various games and activities set up for visitors the first half of the day. I did have a chance to sit and do some work in their cafe and it is really nice. They have water at each table. Each area seems like your own personalized work area. They have an outlet at each table for your convenience. The staff and tour guides are really nice and helpful. I will continue to support this amazing place.

We were visiting Memphis and actually wanted to go to the Zoo. The Zoo and the art museum are quite close to each other, and when we saw packed parking lots and huge lines to get into the zoo, we made a quick detour into this museum. Plenty of free parking, and along the walk to the front entrance there are many interesting pieces of art that you can view. It's not a huge museum, just three total floors, but every wing was different and very interesting. We really liked the African art display, and there were some current exhibits of art from COVID and from some recent BLM demonstrations on Beale Street that were really well done. I would totally recommend a visit here!

Over the years, my timing to visit this museum was never good. I always seemed to arrive when it was closed. Fortunately, I got through the doors last year. However, instead of seeing the entire museum, I spent almost all my time in two exhibitions: This Light of Ours - Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement; and, Artists/Activists - Marcellous Lovelace, Frank D Robinson Jr, and Siphne Sylve. Both of these exhibitions still resonate with me. I was in Nashville recently and challenged myself: drive to Memphis and finally see the entire museum. It was worth it. It doesn't specialize or have a particular strength or depth in any one area but it packs a lot in a relatively small footprint. The Memphis Brooks is one of about ninety museums in the United States that was bequeathed Renaissance and Baroque works from the Samuel Kress collection. There's a good selection of French Impressionists and African art, too. For me, there were two surprises here: rare Ecuadoran anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures from 3500-1800 BCE carved from shell; and, an Ethiopian scroll from 19th or 20th century. Ethiopian art is not commonly seen in US museums and I don't think I've seen ancient art from Ecuador anywhere. My favorite pieces were the free-to-see sculptures outside by Wheeler Williams. Dating to 1961, these dramatic carrara marble female figures are titled 'Spring,' 'Summer' and 'Fall'. If I can master how to visit this museum when its not closed, I'll glad to visit again whenever I'm in Memphis.

We visited the Brooks Museum this past weekend during a weekend visit to Memphis to see my brother in law, and I was really impressed! The museum is on the smaller side, but their exhibits and their permanent collection were compelling! When we visited (Dec. 2018), they had an interesting Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit (her work from Hawaii) and an interesting sculptural exhibition of Jaume Plensa's (Talking Continents). We also explored the permanent collected which is quite varied! They have a wonderful cafe and small gift shop as well. The museum is beautiful and, while quite small, the admission fee is very reasonable! Whether you live in Memphis or are just visiting, keep the Brooks on your list. If they have an interesting exhibit or two, it's definitely worth a visit!

We needed a family friendly day trip. We chose the art museum. It was a "pay what you could" day which was pretty awesome since we are such a big family. Some of the exhibits were closed due to covid but the ones that were open....were breathtaking. Employees were very kind and seemed to love their job. Bathrooms were clean and smelled nice. Everything in this building was clean and sanitary.

The art was nice but some of the staff was exceptionally rude. Like I was taking pictures of my sister because we don't get to spend time together that much and this old lady told us we can't do that because photos aren't allowed, we were on camera, etc. Very rude but our admission was $10 a piece so we sat until close. That same lady stood and watched us for maybe 30 minutes all the way until close. We literally weren't doing anything but sitting and talking. Before we had sat down she followed us around the entire exhibit like we were common criminals. Felt very uncomfortable. Art may be alive but I can see why THIS museum is dying. I'd give 0 stars, but that's impossible, so I give it a 1. Highly doubt I will be returning

Great exhibition of Native American art 2/21/2020 opening through... modern yet timeless. Definitely worth seeing. Here are my favorites

Awesome place! There's a Yelp deal available right now too! $14 for $7 which is basically buy one get one admission free! I absolutely loved this art museum. It's a must see. There's a little cafe in there as well, didn't get to try it but it looked cozy. The outdoor is beautiful. Great place to sit down and read or sketch. If you haven't been here before, it's definitely worth checking out.

I am in a total love affair with @BrooksMuseum...and I want to have my wedding reception here. Not that I'm engaged...but you know, planning. Anyways, this is a lovely art museum in Overton Park. They have a wonderful collection (with great rotating series) and their special events are so much fun! Like the cat film festival! Seriously awesome. Check out their calendar so you don't miss their parties! Andria Lisle does such a killer job planning these events. And the Brushmark Restaurant? Perfection! The view over the park is breathtaking. I love coming here and just walking around for a quiet afternoon. It is also the perfect place to take your mom or grandmother for some quality time.

Free admission with Yelp check in! Really enjoyed this place especially the interactive exhibits. There is a lot of things to do around - park leisure (watched a random rugby game) and the Levitt Shell.

The Brooks is amazing! They have an incredible permanent collection and are constantly bringing in unique exhibitions that would typically pass over Memphis. I've visited the museum on their movie nights, during the Hassan Hajjaj "My Rockstars" exhibition, for a Friends + Donors Night centennial celebration, to attend a Young Arts Patrons panel event on the intersection of art, music, and fashion, and just to take a quiet moment to enjoy the museum. Check out their social media and site calendar to keep up with special events. I'll for sure be watching to see when the restaurant renovations are complete. I know it's going to be top notch!

We used a yelp deal to get free admission. Lots of cool exhibits for adults and children. Would recommend if you are in Memphis.

I absolutely love this museum. It's a large museum with a great permanent collection. There are a few rooms and spaces that just fill me with life and happiness! There is always a great traveling exhibit as well. They have a new exhibit upstairs that is an interactive room for children that is really wonderful. I love the building and space so much, but I'm excited to see what they do when they move downtown!

Such a great museum, right here in the middle of Memphis! The Brooks has a pretty extensive collection of ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern art from across the world, although their early renaissance collection is particularly strong. They have a lot of nice traveling exhibits, a very good restaurant, and a nice gift shop. Beautiful venue for events and weddings. They also show films and have docent-led tours. It is a little complicated to get around, so grab a map on your way in!

From Andy Warhol to Singer Sargent, the Brooks is a world-class art museum in our fair city. In addition to being a darn good art gallery, the Brooks has a delightful restaurant- the Brushmark- and hosts a number of events, including Brooks After Hours (drinks, snacks, and special performances every Thursday night), Girls Nights Out, and the yearly Brooks Wine Auction.

Overton Park really has so much to offer. Sometimes, midtowners (like moi) take this fact for granted. Overton Park has playing fields; the Memphis Zoo; wooded areas (closed to traffic) for trail running, walking, off or on road cycling; the Memphis College of Art; Levitt Shell (which has free music during spring and fall) and the Brooks Museum of Art. The museum has quality exhibits - right now, they're showing "Armed and Dangerous." It is an exhibition of weaponry, which spans over 3000 years. Currently, every Wednesday is "pay what you can day!" So, see, there's no excuse to not check it out! In addition to exhibits, the museum frequently has family friendly art events and shows indie/international films on a regular basis. I recently watched, "The Other F Word," there. It was a voyeuristic view of punk rock men who've grown up (sorta) and become fathers. What a ride that was. If your a museum member or a member of Indie Memphis, you receive a discount on the films. If you work up an appetite while at the Brooks, don't worry. You can mosey on over to the Brushmark for Sunday brunch or dinner. Although, it may be on the small side as far as museums go, it really does have much more to offer than solely art.

The art work here is beautiful, and so is the ambiance. It's so quite in the museum, you are able to truly enjoy the artwork. When looking at the artwork, there is descriptions of how and when the artwork was created and details about the artists themselves. They even hold exhibitions of different artists throughout the year. In May, the held an exhibition of Frida Khalo's work! They also display artwork of children from around the Memphis area. This is a great place to go and enjoy some art. The brooks museum is also free on Wednesday!

This museum presents Baroque, Renaissance, and Medieval art in an informative and non-stuffy way. By no means is this museum large, however it makes use of it's space wisely. It's bright without being sterile, and very modern. If you check in with Yelp you can receive free admission, and depending on what time or day you get there find free parking on the museum grounds. It will take you about 2 1/2 hours to visit all the galleries, but it's hours that will fly by. The way the galleries are set up you won't be overwhelmed with info, but you also won't be bored.

This is a very nice museum and it has quite a bit of really nice art in various styles. They really do have art to satisfy most art lovers taste. We really did have a good time. While visiting we started considering it as a possible location for our wedding. It was toward the top of our list until we decided to go out of town instead. I highly recommend you take the time to view the art and appreciate what they have to offer, I doubt you will be disappointed.

Cool museum. Lots of nice exhibits. The only reason I'm giving 2 stars is because the employees were rude af. Seriously. I thought I heard one say there was an incident the night before but still their customer service and hospitality was terrible. We went as a group college students on a Sunday afternoon. When we walked in there was no one at the desk. A lady came over but couldnt help us. Then the person they sent had no clue how to do things. Then as we walked around they were following us like Hawks!!! I mean following like we were criminals. I have never been followed like that in any museum. And, no they weren't even asking if we needed help finding exhibits or anything. Just following us. And they were not following other visitors. We were told to leave our bags and coats at the next, so I'm not sure why they were watching so closely. Overall just a really awkward and uncomfortable experience. We just wanted to view the art.

I came to this free museum for some free art viewing and then a very cool and FREE viewing of Chaplin's 'The Gold Rush' and I had a very nice time. The place is small, but they have a pretty cool collection. I wish we would have had a docent with us to explain everything, but we were happy just walking around and checking stuff out. There were lots of cool benches made and donated by artists. The outside was cool, too. What really sold me on this place was actually the gift shop! They had some really beautiful and interesting things and the prices were very low, pretty much dirt cheap compared to your average museum gift shop. What we saved in admission price we made up for in cab fare, as it's about 15 mins from the downtown Memphis area.

if i could leave 0 stars i would. one museum staff member followed my date and i around like we were criminals and was extremely rude the entire time. never coming back again. we asked her a question and she straight up ignored it. we were there for five minutes and were extremely uncomfortable so we left. sad we wasted 20 dollars.

Founded in 1916 and it's the largest museum in TN. The museum has many interesting and beautiful sculptures & paintings, plus they had a very interesting temporary exhibit when we visited in 4/07. Free admission on Wednesdays; otherwise it's half-price for AAA members.

I was around during the Marisol exhibit. It was a nice expo, but the permanent collection was ok. They have a nice range of genres, but most of it was just ok. I like that the museum only cost three dollars to students. I would probably love this place more if I was a local.

This is a small museum, but packs a surprisingly excellent variety of artwork into it. The displays are well arranged, the flow is nice, and the staff are very friendly. This is a very inexpensive way to spend for five hours.

Wife has her art history masters, so we make a point of visiting art museums whenever we travel. Not a huge selection of we'll known masters, but the museum was well laid out and made a nice two hour stop. More contemporary art than either of us care for. The current civil rights photographic exhibit was excellent. Wife liked the African textile display as well: "Bright, beautiful and inspiring".

Great experience! My children were able to sketch what they saw while there! Very family friendly and especially for littles!

Art and a movie....nice! Will definitely do this again. I'm having a ball and I'm by myself. This was really a great value for all that was included. Glad I came.

This is my absolute, favorite museum in Memphis! I just joined as a member recently. Their artwork is a mix of modern and classic, and they seem to have "something for everyone". Here's what I mean: The Artwork. Their permanent collection is great. Worth just walking through maybe once a year to refresh what awesome treasures are here. Their temporary collections, for the most part, are always worth checking out. I really like that they do educational sessions for members as they bring in new exhibits. I think it's better than just going on a regular tour. :-) The Food. I've only eaten here for corporate events, but they do such a wonderful job with the food! Very coordinated. I don't know how much they charge, but I can see this being a great place to have a wedding. The Events!!! So fun. I've been to a few events from their food and wine series. The Brooks Museum really knows how to plan a great event! Lots of great, local restaurants will set up stations so you can go around and sample, and alcohol is included. They often have a silent auction and some fun music out back, and if you get there late, you can valet so you don't have to walk through Overton in heals (important for those of us who wear heals). Perfect if you're parents are in town, you're on a date and looking for something "different" to do, or even if you're by yourself! It's a great way to fill up a few hours in your day and learn something while you're at it.

This museum had a promotion on Yelp that was advertised as receiving free admission if you checked in at their museum. We did that but they didn't honor the promotion. They said that it was a 2 year old promotion. I understand that if it was something that possibly got left up within the last month or two, but 2 years? I felt they needed to handle that more diligently and the person at the desk was incredibly unhelpful when we sought further insight. I enjoyed some of the exhibits. But the initial interaction left a bad taste in my mouth. I would recommend calling before going to avoid this issue.

I love the eclectic artwork I always find at the Brooks museum. They range from sculptures and abstract art to street art. My partner and I attended an art therapy seminar last year here and it was very informative and inspiring. The "world music" display was amazing. I definitely love this museum and recommend to anyone in the Midsouth who want to try something different. :)

I had such an amazing experience at the Memphis Brooms Museum of Art. Outside of the African Print Fashion & Culture exhibit, the exhibit for the Brooks Art Therapy Access Program was my FAVORITE. Viewing the process of the youth's thoughts and feelings through the lens of art therapy was really beautiful and inspiring.

I've been to Brooks Museum for art exhibits, of course, but I've also been for business seminars, lunches, weddings and wedding receptions. A beautiful place for events, the Brooks is more than just an art museum. I like this place because they usually have really cool exhibits like the recent "Who Shot Rock and Roll," a photograph collection of legends like Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, The Beatles, LL Cool J and others. There are also tons of special events for families and patrons alike, and I believe that they have special "pay what you can" evenings too.