WashU Kemper Art Museum

WashU Kemper Art Museum Renowned collection, thought-provoking exhibitions, exciting programs. Free & open to all.
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At the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum an outstanding art collection and special exhibitions featuring modern and contemporary art come together in a dynamic learning environment. Building on over one hundred years of tradition, the Kemper Art Museum promotes critical thinking and visual literacy within Washington University, in the regional community, and nationally and abroad—through its internat

ionally renowned collection, exhibitions and scholarship, and its innovative outreach and educational programs.

08/20/2026

See what happened behind the scenes while the Museum was closed for a summer break 👀 🚧 
 
Our fall exhibitions open September 9, and our permanent collection galleries are open now!

Happy World Photography Day! 📸 To celebrate, we’re welcoming a new installation to the Photography Gallery: “Art and Sci...
08/19/2026

Happy World Photography Day! 📸
 
To celebrate, we’re welcoming a new installation to the Photography Gallery: “Art and Science: Dario Robleto and Catherine Wagner.” 
 
Photography developed alongside the rise of empirical science in the mid-nineteenth century, as artists and scientists alike sought new ways to look at and understand the visible world. This installation explores the shared spirit of questioning and experimentation that drives artistic and scientific investigation, bringing together Dario Robleto’s print portfolio “The First Time, the Heart: A Portrait of Life 1854–1913” (2018) and Catherine Wagner’s photographic series “-86 Degree Freezers” (1995), both part of the Kemper Art Museum’s permanent collection. 
 
Now on view ✨ free and open to the public. 
———
Catherine Wagner (American, b. 1953), “-86 Degree Freezer (Colon Cancer),” 1995. Gelatin silver print, 25 1/2 x 21 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. University purchase, Charles H. Yalem Art Fund, 1996. 
 
Dario Robleto (American, b. 1972), “Smelling Lavender, 1896,” 2018. Photolithograph with transparent base ink on hand-flamed and sooted Rising Drawing Bristol paper, 11 1/2 x 14 1/4 in. Gift of Island Press, 2024.

08/15/2026

🎉 The Kemper Art Museum has officially reopened! We can’t wait to welcome you back for a new season of programs and exhibitions. 
 
Celebrate with us this afternoon with “Musical Miniatures: Compositions Inspired by Artworks,” an immersive performance by Brooklyn-based ensemble Unheard-of. The group will present two sets of musical compositions paired with artworks throughout the Museum, with performances beginning at 3 pm (please note this performance is at capacity) and 4:15 pm. While performances are free and open to the public, reservations are required. Head to the link in our bio to register. 
 
While you’re at the Museum, be sure to check out “Art and Science: Dario Robleto and Catherine Wagner,” a new installation in our Photography Gallery examining the connections between artistic and scientific investigation. 
 
Plan your visit:
🖼 Monday, Wednesday–Sunday | 11 am–5 pm 
🎟 Open to the public with FREE admission 
🚗 Free parking on weekends and after 5 pm on weekdays in the East End Garage 
🚏 Drop-off available at the Brookings Drive circle (off Skinker Blvd)
 

“Carolina Caycedo: Growing Deep Roots” will open Wednesday, September 9, at the Kemper Art Museum. A solo exhibition of ...
08/14/2026

“Carolina Caycedo: Growing Deep Roots” will open Wednesday, September 9, at the Kemper Art Museum.
 
A solo exhibition of new and recent work by the Los Angeles–based Colombian artist Carolina Caycedo, the exhibition brings together sculpture, drawings, prints, and videos that address the interrelated issues of water and land stewardship and just energy transition.
 
Drawing on environmental justice frameworks, traditional knowledge systems, and ecofeminism, Caycedo’s multidisciplinary artistic practice challenges viewers to understand nature not as a resource to be exploited, but as a living entity to which we are deeply accountable. 
 
The exhibition is curated by Meredith Malone, the Nancy and Kenneth Kranzberg Curator and senior curator at the Kemper Art Museum.
 
Concurrently, on September 10, Caycedo will debut a related work, “Fiesta de las Raíces,” a new commission for “Counterpublic 2026: Coyote Time,” a triennial exhibition featuring fifty new commissions throughout the St. Louis region.
 
Images:
Carolina Caycedo, detail of “Prairie Root Portrait 1,” 2026. Relief print from paracord, sisal, jute, climbing, and cotton rope on dyed Evolon paper, 108 1/2 x 54 in. Courtesy of the artist and Island Press. Photo by Carol Green.
 
Carolina Caycedo, detail of “Complex, Nutty, and Slightly Sweet: I Am Kernza,” 2026. Colored pencil on paper, 30 x 30 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Chris Young.
 
Carolina Caycedo, detail of “Elwha’s Healing,” 2022/2026. Satellite photocollage wallpaper, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.
 
Carolina Caycedo, “Celestial Autonomy, the Dance of Big Dipper and North Star,” 2023. 8 dipnets, metal structure, recycled buoys, fishing lures, fishing rod, recycled nylon nets, glass buoys, and rope, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. Installation view, “How to Survive,” Anchorage Museum, October 6, 2023–January 19, 2025. Courtesy of Anchorage Museum.
 
Carolina Caycedo, detail of “Molybdenum Intensive,” 2026. Colored pencil and variegated metal leaf on paper, 35 x 35 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Ruben Diaz.

🚨 One week left!   Don’t miss your chance to experience “Looking Back Toward the Future: Contemporary Photography from C...
07/13/2026

🚨 One week left!  
 
Don’t miss your chance to experience “Looking Back Toward the Future: Contemporary Photography from China.” The exhibition brings together 43 groundbreaking photographs created between 1993 and 2006, offering a compelling look at a pivotal moment in contemporary Chinese art. 
 
📅 On view through July 20 
🎟️ Free and open to the public 
🚗 Parking available in WashU’s East End Garage (free weekends)  
🚏 Drop-off at Brookings Drive circle (off Skinker Blvd) 
 
📸 JWPictures, Inc.

07/02/2026

Happy birthday to Karl Gerstner, whose artworks are currently on view as part of an installation of Edition MAT (“multiplication d’art transformable”), a groundbreaking series of editioned, three-dimensional artworks.  
 
These dynamic objects transform when viewed from different distances and angles. Stop by the Museum for an optical adventure 👀 
 
Artworks:  
Karl Gerstner (Swiss, 1930–2017), “Linsenbild MAT (Lens Image MAT),” from Edition MAT, 1964. Painted wood, Plexiglas, 6 printed paper cards, and lightbulb, 32/100, 15 5/8 x 15 11/16 x 4 3/4 in. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis. University purchase with funds from Aurelia Gerhard Schlapp, by exchange, 2013.  
Karl Gerstner (Swiss, 1930–2017), “Rotbunte Reihen (Red-colored sequences),” from Edition MAT, 1965. Painted wood with aluminum, 20/50, 17 11/16 x 17 11/16 x 3 1/8 in. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis. University purchase with funds from Aurelia Gerhard Schlapp, by exchange, 2013.

06/17/2026

Recognize anyone? 🌀 
 
Tong Dazhuang’s “Untitled (Round Digital Collage Series)” brings together scores of iconic figures—variously sourced from cartoons, glossy magazines, and historical photographs—into a dizzying arrangement of concentric circles. Blending popular culture, history, and mass media, the work reflects the flood of images that shape contemporary life. 
 
On view until July 20 as part of the exhibition “Looking Back Toward the Future.” 
 
Artwork: Tong Dazhuang (Chinese, b. 1977), “Untitled (Round Digital Collage Series),” 2006. Digitally manipulated photograph, 47 3/16 x 47 3/16 in. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis. Gift of Larry Warsh, 2024.

05/16/2026

From exhibition banners to life on the go ♻️ 
 
Each of our upcycled Rareform bags is one of a kind.

⬅️ 👀 Take a closer look at “Knick Knack Peddler,” a photograph by Wang Qingsong on view now in the exhibition “Looking B...
05/13/2026

⬅️ 👀 Take a closer look at “Knick Knack Peddler,” a photograph by Wang Qingsong on view now in the exhibition “Looking Back Toward the Future.” 
 
Wang draws on a popular painting tradition from China’s Song dynasty, wherein children follow a merchant selling everyday goods. In this twenty-first-century version, those traditional objects are replaced with items from iconic Western brands—from Coca-Cola to McDonald’s—pointing to the rapid replacement of traditional customs with Western culture in 1990s China.  
 
Fun fact: the crying baby in the scene is the artist’s own son. Can you spot him? 
 
Artwork: 
Wang Qingsong (Chinese, b. 1966), “Knick Knack Peddler,” 2002. Color photograph, 9/25, 23 9/16 × 78 3/4 in. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis. Gift of Larry Warsh, 2024.

Congratulations to the MFA-VA Class of 2026 on the opening of “Apparition” 🎉  and thank you to everyone who joined us to...
05/12/2026

Congratulations to the MFA-VA Class of 2026 on the opening of “Apparition” 🎉  and thank you to everyone who joined us to toast to these artists and the culmination of their work.  
 
The exhibition will be on view until July 27! 
 
Featured Artists:  
Zain Almutawa 
Yitian Chen 
Emily Eid 
Shiyao Fu 
Zach T. Johnson 
Virginia Liu (Jingyi Liu) 
Brittni Mosby 
Emilia-Qian Shen 
Dallas Spears 
Levi Anthony Walker 
Violet L. White 
Tianqing Xu 
Yixiao Zhang 张祎潇 
 
📸

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Washington University In St. Louis, One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO
63130

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Monday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

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(314) 935-4523

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