MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM

Burke Brise Soleil, the masterpiece of Santiago Calatrava, is what first attracts you to the Milwaukee Art Museum. 90 tons and a 217 foot wingspan of pure genius. It captures your realities and doesn’t let go. This is one museum where every minute spent on the outside is not wasted. And every minute on the inside is rewarding as well.

You enter into the Quadracci Pavilion, light and scale perfectly proportioned. Check in at the ticket desk - visits are free at the moment, however reservations are required - and walk east to the bank of windows overlooking Lake Michigan and the Oak Leaf Trail.

Due to Covid-19, the museum has set up a one-way route through the exhibits. The starting point is Rodin’s “The Walking Man.” Not a bad place to start. Exhibits ranged from the sarcophagus of Pedurisi to mid-century furniture to American Pop Art paintings, emerging artists from all disciplines, and a bit of everything in between.

Tom Wesselmann - “Still Life #51” (1964)

Burke Brise Soleil - Milwaukee Art Museum

If there is a better museum in a mid-size American city I would love to see. The Milwaukee Art Museum is top notch. Located on Lake Michigan, near the 3rd Ward. Underground parking available on site. This is Milwaukee’s gem.