Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee Art Museum Review

Located on the lakefront, this museum houses collections of paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, and decorative arts. Its permanent collection emphasizes European and American art of the 19th and 20th centuries. A soaring 2001 addition hosts major traveling exhibitions and includes a set of graceful "wings" that open during the day to let light stream into the gallery. The museum's lower-level café is a glass-walled promontory that faces the lake. Here, you can order light lunch or take a mid-afternoon coffee and dessert break. The addition also includes performance space, and the museum hosts dance, installation art, and other performances. Visit at noon to watch the building's wings flap.