Permanent Collection June 21, 2012

From an initial gift in 1995 of more than 100 works of art from museum founders Bebe and Crosby Kemper, the collection has rapidly expanded to include nearly 1,000 works in all media, including painting, sculpture, installations, prints, and works on paper, photography, and time-based media. The earliest work, created in 1913, dates from the same year as the Armory Show in New York, the first international exhibition of modern art, and a watershed event in the history of American art. The collection features works from nearly every year thereafter to the present. Selections from the collection are on view throughout the Museum, Kemper East, the campus grounds, and the streets of downtown Kansas City. As an extension of the Museum, this online database offers our global audience a backstage pass to the entire wealth of the Museum's holdings. In concert with the collection's growth and the Museum's digitization initiatives, this resource will continue to expand and evolve over time. Explore and enjoy.