Des Moines Art Center

The Des Moines Art Center at 4700 Grand Ave is one of the most architecturally celebrated art museums in the United States, with a building complex composed of three wings designed by three of the 20th century's most significant architects: Eliel Saarinen (1948), I.M. Pei (1968), and Richard Meier (1985). The Saarinen wing, built of Iowa limestone in a graceful horizontal composition, anchors the museum's Greenwood Park setting; Pei's addition introduces poured concrete brutalism; Meier's white porcelain-panel wing floods galleries with north-facing natural light. Together the three structures create an architectural tour worth visiting independent of the collection itself. The permanent collection holds approximately 6,000 works across painting, sculpture, photography, and media, with particular strength in American art from 1900 to the present. Highlights include works by Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Francis Bacon, Jasper Johns, Chuck Close, and Agnes Martin. Rotating temporary exhibitions — typically three to five per year — have brought major international shows to Des Moines. Admission is free for all visitors, including temporary exhibitions. The museum's sculpture garden connects the wings outdoors and includes works by Mark di Suvero and other postwar sculptors. A café operates inside the Richard Meier wing during museum hours. Thursday evenings until 9:00 PM offer the quietest visiting conditions for the permanent collection, as the museum is closed Mondays and sees highest attendance on Saturday afternoons.