Icons of the Rockies and Other Art at the Denver Art Museum

The Denver Art Museum holds some of the most iconic images of the American West, alongside a selection of paintings, sculptures, textiles and other artwork from around the world.

The museum began as the Denver Artists' Club in the 1890s, and moved through many different venues before coming to rest in its current location in 1949. The museum has since been expanded twice in order to provide the 356,000 square feet of space that now houses the galleries, auditorium and exhibition spaces.

The museum has a huge and incredibly diverse collection of art from around the world. This includes an excellent collection of Western American art that will hold a particular interest for residents of Denver and the surrounding area, as well as anyone who takes an interest in the local history and art. One of the most important pieces in this collection is the painting "Long Jakes" by Charles Deas, which is considered to be the most influential icon of the Rocky Mountains. It shows a mountain man, clad in a bright red coat and mounted on a black horse, reflecting the heroic Western image of independence amid the wilderness.

In addition to the Western American collection, the museum houses large collections of artworks from the rest of the Americas. The collections of American, American Indian, Spanish Colonial and Pre-Columbian Art in the museum contain hundreds of superb artifacts and pieces of art from North, South and Central America. Denver Art Museum is the only museum in the Americas where it is possible to see work from all of the main artistic movements and centers of Latin America. There are also collections of art from Asia, Africa and Europe, and well as photography and architecture collections, so there is something to interest every art lover.

In addition to its permanent collections, the museum regularly hosts new visiting exhibitions. These usually require payment of an additional entry fee, but they often include world famous artworks and are worth the extra expense if they are based on an artist or type of art that particularly interests you.

The Denver Art Museum is a family friendly attraction that offers many ways for children to interact with the art that they see as they walk around the galleries. There are various activity packs that can be picked up and used to keep the younger members of the family entertained and engaged with the art as you tour the museum, as well as interactive hotspots around the galleries and in the Family Center. These allow children to be inspired by the museum's collections and try out their own creative and artistic skills with projects inspired by some of the museum's most interesting pieces.

As well as welcoming younger visitors on a day-by-day basis, the museum hosts a number of events, many of which are designed to inspire children with an interest in art. There are special tours for local schools, activity days, classes and camps for children, and even educational lectures, art courses and social events for adults.

Admission to the museum is free on the first Saturday of the month, and children under the age of five always enter free of charge, as do members of the museum. Many residents of the Denver area decide to join the museum in order to be able to visit as many times as they like during the year. Some people also choose to volunteer at the museum, which often needs helpers for events. The museum also periodically offers a training program for volunteers who would like to learn more about the collections and train to take other visitors on guided tours of the galleries.