Welcome to the newly redesigned Davis Museum website. The site is shaped by our commitment to the Wellesley College students, faculty, and friends of art around the world for whom the Davis is a vital academic resource as well as a life-long source of learning and inspiration.

 

One of the oldest and most acclaimed academic fine art museums in the United States, the Museum was founded more than 120 years ago by the first President of Wellesley College. The Davis collections, which span global history from antiquity to the present and include masterpieces from almost every continent, are housed today in an extraordinary museum building, designed by Rafael Moneo, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. In addition to dynamic presentations of the permanent collections, and installations that support specific coursework and research interests, the Davis hosts a rotating series of engaging temporary exhibitions and programs organized to inform, delight, and challenge our visitors.

 

Among the many new features of this site, we are particularly delighted to introduce our Collections Search function, which provides virtual access to the some 15,000 objects in the Davis collections database. See something you love? Visitors interested in seeing works not currently displayed in the galleries are welcome to contact the Davis to schedule a viewing. The Davis staff joins me in inviting you to explore our site online and to visit us on the Wellesley College campus.

 

 

Ruth Gordon Shapiro ’37 Director