On October 21, 1993, “Madonna and Child in a Landscape” a work by the Italian Renaissance painter Cima de Conegiano that is part of the North Carolina Museum of Art’s permanent collection, was selected as the U.S. Postal Service’s Christmas Stamp. The Museum’s collection of Italian paintings ranks among the finest in the country.
Since the initial acquisition in 1947 of 139 works of European and American art, purchased with a $1 million appropriation of state funds, the North Carolina Museum of Art has grown to be one of the nation’s finest museums. Housed in a state of the art building completed in 2010, its major holdings include European painting from the Renaissance to the 19th century, Egyptian art, sculpture and vase painting from ancient Greece and Rome, American art of the 18th through 20th centuries, and international contemporary art. Other strengths include African, ancient American, pre-Columbian, and Oceanic art, and Jewish ceremonial objects.
The Museum also is home to one of the largest museum art parks in the world. The park includes over a dozen works of art set on 164 acres.
For more about North Carolina’s history, arts and culture, visit Cultural Resources online. To receive these updates automatically each day, make sure you subscribe by email using the box on the right, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.