Gibbes Museum of Art — Attraction in Charleston

Wonderful art collection in downtown Charleston. The Gibbes had a makeover about 2 yrs ago and they updated the museum from a dark, quiet carpeted gallery to a beautiful, airy museum with its stunning (original?) mosaic tiled floors. The collection spans from colonial portraiture, sculpture, to modern contemporary art. This is not the biggest museum, but it is an impressive collection, and it captures the local culture and history of Charleston. The folk art exhibit was wonderful and whimsical, I thoroughly enjoyed it. They also have a wonderful miniature portrait collection, which is very unique. The Butcher & Bee have a cafe from their restaurant the Daily in the museum, and it offers a wonderful place to have a snack or a great coffee or tea after seeing some great art. The gift shop is really nice and they also have some studios for local artists to use, which is really great for the community. They also have a great #savethearts campaign where you can mail postcards to the local senators and congressmen to make them aware of how important the arts are to the community. Make sure you fill one out before you leave! Be prepared to spend about 2 hours here, if you see the entire museum. It’s worth a visit if you’re visiting...

The "Gibbes," as it is affectionately known by locals brings its visitors face to face with the history of the South Carolina Lowcountry in a very engaging and well organized way. The paintings, sculpture, photographs, etc. found in the Gibbes Museum of Art are mostly by American artists and there is usually some kind of connection to Charleston or the South, but various interesting traveling exhibits also make their temporary home there. If you take it all in, you'll benefit from a Charleston history lesson in various art forms, plus the joy of whatever exciting new exhibit is featured at the time.

If you like fine portraiture, photographs, history, sculpture, interesting exhibits, friendly staff and appreciate dogged attention to every detail from historical storytelling to perfection in display - don't miss the charm of a small museum that always has something new to be discovered. I find myself going there again and again and always find treasures to feed my soul and fuel my own...

Tbh I wandered in here when I was exploring the city and a passing storm came over. I'm a fan of museums and so for $10 I got to stay dry and enjoy some art. All of the galleries were open and the staff was cordial. The art seemed to be a mix of southern US art from varying eras from about 1600s+ in varying styles, a small amount of modern art, religious art, African American artwork and a "variable gallery" (which was a japanese art exhibit when I went). Galleries were quiet and pieces were well lit / represented. The reason I took one star is that I felt that a lot of the pieces and artist are specific to the region and therefore may not be as renowned--as such it would have been nice to have more information about the artist and piece of art--some pieces had a wealth of info, others were literally one-liners. Overall a nice, quiet way to weather a storm and appreciate beautiful art. (The "veiled lady" by Rossi is gorgeous in person, pictures won't...