The Kimbell Art Museum will reopen to the public on Saturday, June 20, with member-only previews beginning Thursday, June 18. The museum has instituted new guidelines for staff and visitors that support state and local health and safety recommendations.
The special exhibition, Flesh and Blood: Italian Masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum, has been extended through July. With this extension, visitors will have another opportunity to experience these magnificent Renaissance and Baroque works rarely seen outside of Naples, Italy, including Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Beheading Holofernes, which originally was scheduled to leave the exhibition early.
On the occasion of our reopening, more than 30 masterpieces from the Kimbell’s African, Ancient American, and Asian collections have been installed in the Louis I. Kahn Building alongside the museum’s European paintings and sculpture.
While the museum prides itself on visitors’ personal experience and engagement in the museum, new health and safety measures require the temporary suspension of certain activities to accommodate social distancing, as well as the addition of new visitor guidelines and staff protocols and training.
Visitor guidelines
For the safety of all visitors and staff, anyone who is sick or has any sign of a respiratory illness should stay home. The museum has installed signage and other visual reminders to ensure visitors and staff maintain a safe social distance of at least six feet.
All visitors (ages 2 and up) are required to wear a mask during their visit to the Kimbell. Masks are available upon request. All Kimbell staff are required to wear masks. Custodial staff have increased cleaning frequency among high-touch locations. Additional hand sanitizing stations are located throughout the buildings, including at every entrance.
Audio wands are currently not available for visitor use. Visitors are encouraged to download the Kimbell app on their personal device and bring headphones to experience audio tours of the permanent collection and special exhibition.
Parcel check is closed. No large bags or backpacks are allowed; however, soft-front baby carriers and strollers are permitted.
Visitors are encouraged to purchase exhibition tickets online; tickets may also be purchased on-site. Members may bypass the ticket line and show their member ID card to enter the special exhibition. Admission to the permanent collection is always free.
Facility updates and temporary suspensions
In accordance with state and local guidelines, capacity in the galleries is limited to 50% to allow for appropriate social distancing.
In the first phase of reopening, the Buffet and the Café will be temporarily closed. Drinking fountains are not available, but bottled water will be available for purchase.
The special assistance vehicle that transports visitors between the Kimbell’s two buildings is temporarily suspended. Handicapped parking is available in the Piano garage with elevator access to the special exhibition.
All on-site programs and events are cancelled until further notice.
In-depth information about visiting the museum during this time is also available at kimbellart.org/visit.
Ongoing response
The Kimbell looks forward to welcoming visitors safely once again to both the permanent collection and special exhibition, Flesh and Blood: Italian Masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum. The museum’s new reopening precautions are temporary and will be lifted once it is safe to do so. The Kimbell will continue to monitor developments in Tarrant County; changes to these procedures may occur based on guidance from state and local health officials.
Kimbell from Home, the museum’s online initiative that explores the collection, architecture, kids and family activities, teen resources and more, will continue to be updated online for those wishing to explore the museum remotely. New content is added to the landing page and social media weekly.
KIMBELL ART MUSEUM
The Kimbell Art Museum, owned and operated by the Kimbell Art Foundation, is internationally renowned for both its collections and its architecture. The Kimbell's collections range in period from antiquity to the 20th century and include European masterpieces by artists such as Fra Angelico, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Poussin, Velázquez, Monet, Picasso and Matisse; important collections of Egyptian and classical antiquities; and the art of Asia, Africa and the Ancient Americas.
The museum's 1972 building, designed by the American architect Louis I. Kahn, is widely regarded as one of the outstanding architectural achievements of the modern era. A second building, designed by world-renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, opened in 2013 and now provides space for special exhibitions, dedicated classrooms and a 289-seat auditorium with excellent acoustics for music.
