The Collections

Consists of more than 18,000 objects dating from the 1500s to the present, comprising one of the preeminent modern and contemporary design collections of any comprehensive museum in the United States.

Focused on the diverse artistic traditions of Africa, including rare and exquisite works in sculpture, textiles, jewelry, painting, printmaking, and drawings.

With more than 7,000 artworks representing 6,000 years of history across the entire Asian continent, the collection is particular strong in artwork from Japan, Korea, China, India, and the Islamic world.

In the more than 80 years since the Denver Art Museum acquired its first piece of arts from Oceania, the total collection has grown to approximately 1,000 objects. These are broadly representative of the vast artistic heritage of Oceania, but the greatest strengths are in 20th century New Guinea art and 19th century Polynesian art.

Spans nearly four millennia and includes examples of the artistry developed by communities throughout Mesoamerica, Central and South America, and the Caribbean and Southwestern United States.

Includes more than 3,000 paintings, sculptures, and prints, including the internationally renowned Berger Collection composed of mostly British paintings, drawings, medieval works of art, and a significant collection of French 18th and 19th century drawings.

Features over 18,000 objects by artists from over 250 Indigenous nations, encapsulating multiple artistic traditions from ancient times to the present. Collectively, these artworks comprise one of the strongest and most comprehensive collections of Indigenous art in the world.

Totaling over 3,000 objects of works that represent the broad range of the artistic production from Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and the Southwestern United States, it is the largest and most comprehensive collection of art produced in Latin America between the 1600s and the 1800s in the United States.

Boasting more than 7,000 artworks from 1900 to today, the modern and contemporary art collection includes representations of artworks from the School of Paris and Abstract Expressionism to contemporary internationally renowned artists from across the globe.

The photography department is recognized for its extensive holdings of landscape images from the American West, 1865-present. Collectively, these reflect both the achievements of outstanding artists and the shifting environmental attitudes of the last century and a half. The collection also has strong holdings of European and American modernist photography and of contemporary work. 

The Avenir Institute of Textile Arts and Fashion encompasses over 5,000 objects from Asia, Europe, and North and South America, and range from archaeological textiles to contemporary works of art in fiber and fashion from the 18th century to today.

The Petrie Institute of Western American Art (PIWAA) oversees the western American art collection, which encompasses two centuries of paintings, sculptures, and works on paper related to the West. Additionally, PIWAA promotes scholarship in the field through exhibitions, annual symposia, and publications. As a result, we are able to tell a comprehensive story of American art in the West.