Indianapolis Museum Of Art history

The death of wealthy Indianapolis resident John Herron in 1895 left a substantial bequest with the stipulation that the money be used for a gallery and a school with his name.

The John Herron Art Institute opened in 1902 at the corner of 16th and Pennsylvania street.

William Henry Fox was hired in 1905 as the Art Institute's first director.

1906 - The John Herron Art Institute formally opened in its permanent home, a building designed by Arthur Bohn of the Indianapolis firm Vonnegut & Bohn, on November 20.

1908 - A new art school building, also designed by Vonnegut & Bohn, opened directly north of what was henceforth known as the Museum building.

1910 - The John Herron Art Institute presented a memorial exhibition of the works of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, known for his public commissions honoring Civil War heroes of the North.

1927 - Sixteen civic leaders founded the Gamboliers.

1929 - A new and larger school building, designed by renowned architect Paul Phillipe Cret, opened, funded anonymously by board member Caroline Marmon Fesler.

1937 - Author Booth Tarkington, Muncie industrialist Frank Ball, and Eli Lilly & Company research director Doctor George J. A. Clowes were among the lenders to an exhibition of paintings and prints by Dutch Masters, including Rembrandt, Hals, Ruisdael, Steen, and Vermeer.

1943 - Art Association president Caroline Marmon Fesler made the first in a remarkable series of gifts to the collection.

1947 - Eli Lilly made the first of his gifts of Chinese art.

In 1960, Art Association of Indianapolis board members began discussing the idea of placing the museum at the center of a new cultural campus.

1964 - Out of space in the Museum and with no land upon which to build, the board hired development consultants G. A. Brakeley & Company to advise on fundraising and also on a new site for the museum and possibly also the school.

1966 - Early in the year, the board learned that the Herron School of Art had lost its accreditation.

1967 22 local leaders form Penrod—now attracts 20,000 guests annually.

Sewall, the Art Association of Indianapolis has undergone many changes over the years not the least of which is donning the current location and title of Indianapolis Museum of Art in 1969.

1970 Design Arts Society formed; LOVE arrives at the IMA

1972 Madeleine F. Elder and newly formed Horticultural Society rescue the Greenhouse from demolition.

Construction on the Showalter Pavilion and Sutphin Fountain was completed in 1973.

1975 - Following the dedication of the new galleries, membership triples to 12,000.

1983 Second Century Society founded and helps transform the financial picture of the organization.

In 1986, the IMA's board members chose Edward Larrabee Barnes to design the Hulman Pavilion, a new wing of the museum which housed the Eiteljorg collection of African and South Pacific art.

The pavilion opened in 1990 and increased the exhibition space to more than 80,000 square feet (7,400 m). The expansion aimed to provide clearer chronological continuity and a more coherent flow as visitors moved from one gallery to the next.

1992 horticulture staff and volunteers launch the Garden Guides program.

1993 Formal gardens restored through a gift from the friends and colleagues of Richard D. Wood to honor him upon his retirement from Eli Lilly and Company.

1997 - Through a combination of gift and purchase, the Museum acquired 101 works by Gauguin and the School of Pont-Aven from the collection of Samuel Josefowitz.

1999 - The Clowes Collection, including 100 works Rembrandt, Rubens, El Greco, Cranach, Jan Breugal, Constable, Claude, and other European masters, was committed to the Museum by the Clowes Fund.

2000 - The Museum acquired 75 hanging scrolls and folding screens representing major artists and styles of Japan’s Edo period.

2002 - The IMA unveiled the newly restored mansion.

2005 - The New IMA opened to the public May 5 and featured the new Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion, Wood Gallery Pavilion and Deer Zink Special Events Pavilion.

2006 - On July 1, the IMA announced receipt of an $11 million challenge grant from the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation for development of The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres.

2007 - The IMA announced nine artists and collectives selected to create works for the The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, including artists Kendall Buster, Los Carpinteros, Jeppe Hein, Alfredo Jaar, Sam Easterson, Tea Mäkipää, Type A, Atelier Van Lieshout, and Andrea Zittel.

2008 Nonie’s Garden opens as the focal point for the new main entrance: plaque marking the tribute to art and nature lover Nonie (Eleanor) Krauss reads: "Here marks the passage between art and nature, nature and art, for in reality, they are one."

In 2009, the IMA was awarded the National Medal for Museum and Library Service for public service, specifically the museum's free admission policy and educational programming.

2011 Four Seasons Garden restored through the generosity of Richard and Helen Dickinson

2014 Roy Lichtenstein’s Five Brushstrokes acquired and installed

In April 2015, an entrance fee was reintroduced to maintain long-term financial stability.