delaware art museum

This is a small, compact museum, but don't let the size fool you. I went there expect to knock it out in an hour, but it took a good 2-2.5 hours. The highlight is the pre-Raphaelite collection which is the largest and finest outside the UK. Also excellent is their display of 20th century illustrations, especially by Howard Pyle. And their small gallery of American gilded age art is also beautiful and displayed very tastefully. If you're not looking for encyclopedic collections, but for a finely focused and tastefully presented collection, this is a wonderful museum to visit.

Visited on a Sunday. The grounds, including the sculpture garden are nice, and the exhibits inside were varied and interesting. Visited with kids ages 12 and 9. They especially enjoyed the exhibit on Brian Selznick.

This is a small museum that you can see thoroughly in no more than two hours. It's especially strong in the Pre-Raphaelites and the work of Howard Pyle and his contemporaries. The outdoor sculpture garden and labyrinth are entertaining as well. Sadly, the museum has been criticized for selling off pieces of its collection. There's an atrium with a hole where a Calder mobile should have been.

I have been to this museum several times since I moved to Wilmington and each time something different captures my attention.The sculpture garden is fun for a stroll and the children enjoy the labyrinth as well. They host many activities. Last year, we also went for a viewing of "The Red Balloon" in an outdoor movie projection on their lawn, with popcorn provided. Their Chinese New Year's celebrations are fun for the whole family with a day full of activities and many crafts for the kids to make. The children's craft times are also fun. You can go alone, with friends or with the kids. There is something for everyone and there are lots of nice spots where you can sit, relax and enjoy the atmosphere. There is a mix of art genres.My most recent visit was for the Brian Selznik exhibit, which I found quite charming.

Delaware Art Museum is noted for having a collection of Howard Pyle's oil paintings that tell stories left to the imagination of the viewer. It also has the largest collection of pre-Raphaelite art in the world. In fact, we were introduced to the pre-Raphaelite's on a previous visit. Last year, we saw a special exhibit at the Smithsonian which had some paintings from Delaware. This exhibit also traveled to the Tate in England--the soil on which these paintings originated. This time we also saw the exquisite illustrations of Brian Selznick, author and illustrator of "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" which earned the Caldecott Medal and was made into the movie, "Hugo." His illustrations of many children's books were enchanting. Highly recommend the docent led tours. We took both the museum highlights (1 p.m.) and special exhibition tours (2 p.m.). Each lasted 45 minutes and were most worthwhile.

I was really surprised by this museum. I initially thought it would only be classical art, but the deeper you go, you realize there is a real range of genres of art in the museum. When I was there, there was a Black arts section and a really interested modern art section. If you go, there's sure to be something that interests you. I definitely recommend!

Top notch studio arts classes. The Metals studio is second only to a top collegiate studio. Fresh exhibits & programs and a sweet little sculpture garden with a maze to enjoy on a pretty fall day or sunny summer afternoon!

Not only does the museum maintain a comprehensive art collection, specializing in Pre-Raphaelite, it also keeps a busy schedule of various activities relating to the current displays and otherwise, including film screenings, classes and lectures. Also a very active children's program; I recently took two of my grandchildren to an art class, and they really enjoyed it. It's very easy to become over-involved! Very hospitable staff and knowledgeable docents. A big convenience is a generous supply of portable seats to relieve sore feet and legs. Highly recommend!

Perhaps I am a bit spoiled or even jaded by the Art museums that I have visited in Europe and the ones I visit regularly(Philadelphia Museum of art, and the Smithsonians in DC), but I expected a bit more. Nice little collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings, but again I wanted to see more.

Spent the afternoon strolling leisurely through the museum -- an esp good place to spend the rainy afternoon!

Beautiful setting-the galleries are large and the collections are very interesting. Guides are very helpful. Lovely gift shop and nice cafe. There are tables and chairs on an outdoor patio if you'd like to sit outside on a nice day. Be aware the museum is opened only limited days and closes at 4pm on days it is open.

This museum was opened to showcase the work of Howard Pyle, a talented illustrator and artist. Many of his students attained much success and fame. The museum exhibits the work of HP and other talented artists but offers much more with the sculpture garden exhibit. This is a must see when you are downtown. Make the time to stop in. use the treasure trail passport to save on the cost of all your tourist stops.

Sundays are free and we also scooped up on a free tour. The guide was extremely knowledgeable. We definitely have to come back. Only allowed ourselves 2 hours and we probably needed 4. There are tables with umbrellas outside, so pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the day.

We had a little difficultly with the GPS directions in regard to which way the streets went, but once we found the museum, we were pleasantly surprised. The museum is small enough that we felt that we got to see most of it. The exhibits were interesting and well curated. Each room seemed to have a natural flow. I was surprised at how much I recognized from the illustration exhibit. The outdoor sculpture garden was interesting too although I just don't "get" some modern art! The Chihuly glass was exquisite. We ate lunch in the cafe. The food was ok and competitively priced. A museum employee came to chat with us while we ate lunch. She was interested in our opinion of the museum and how we were enjoying our visit. The gift shop had a wide variety of merchandise in all price ranges, and there's no sales tax in Delaware. The admission fee was reasonable with a discount for seniors and members of Longwood Gardens.

I had been fairly up in the air about visiting this museum after their decision to sell art work to pay their debt, because this practice is completely counter to what I believe museums should be doing. However, I really wanted to see their pre-Raphaelite collection, so I made the decision to visit. Parking is plentiful and the museum is easy to find. It is an incredibly large building for a rather small collection, so that felt awkward. When I arrived I was the only person in the lobby and I had to wait for the person at the visitor desk to get off the phone before purchasing my ticket, which was fine, things happen. However, when she got off the phone she looked at me and said $12 (which I think is rather high for the collection), I paid and then she just glared at me. I got no ticket, no map, nothing. She then immediately picked up the phone and started talking again. Luckily there was another employee or volunteer who walked up at that moment and handed me a map and helped me get oriented. From that moment on I had no interaction and saw no other employees or visitors. I wasn't expecting a guided tour, but when you're the only visitor in a location, I expect to at least be greeted warmly and given a little bit of direction.If you're particularly interested in the collection of the Museum, then it's worth a visit, but if you're not going for anything specifically I'd recommend visiting one of the other excellent museums in the Brandywine Valley area.