Half-Day Trip to the Indianapolis Museum of Art 🖼️

It was Chinese art that brought me to Indianapolis once again. During my two-day stay in this city, aside from one or two people I occasionally encountered in the museum, I didn’t see a single Chinese person outside. Yet, right here in the American Midwest, there are over a thousand Chinese art pieces collected! 🌵 Museum Features & Transportation: Although its Chinese name is as above, the official name of the museum is Newfields. It’s located in a slightly suburban area, so taking Uber or Lyft is the only option for those without a car. However, the surroundings are beautiful—true to the museum’s tagline: A Place for Art and Nature. The museum is integrated within a park. 🌵 The museum itself is fairly large but easy to explore. Seating is available everywhere, making it one of the most visitor-friendly museums I’ve visited in the U.S. 🌵 Many of the museum’s highlights are concentrated in the second-floor exhibition Embodied: Human Figures in Art. Western art history, especially ancient art, revolves largely around human figures, so this exhibition naturally includes a significant number of pieces. Since the Indianapolis Museum of Art holds extensive Asian art collections, many Chinese artworks are also integrated into various sections. It’s fascinating to see how similar themes are represented completely differently in Eastern and Western cultures. 🌵 The dedicated Asian art exhibition is on the third floor, with separate galleries for Chinese and Japanese art. However, the Chinese gallery primarily features artifacts, with only one or two calligraphy and painting works on display (even though the museum actually has quite a few such pieces in its collection). 🌵 The fourth floor is currently hosting a digital exhibition on Dalí. Born in 1904, this year marks the 120th anniversary of his birth—which might explain why the MFA Boston is also holding a Dalí special exhibition at the same time. While Boston’s exhibition features more original works, the one here focuses on immersive experiences. 🌵 On the eve of Halloween, the park next to the museum was filled with giant pumpkins—not only cute but also beautifully arranged! #GlobalTravel #MuseumHopping #DailyArtShare