Of the First Class: A History of the Kimbell Art Museum

Tim Madigan, author of Of the First Class: A History of the Kimbell Art Museum, will be available in the Piano Pavilion lobby for book signing.

 

Of the First Class: A History of the Kimbell Art Museum, by Tim Madigan

Pre-sale, estimated delivery October 10, 2019

Books will be available in the Kimbell’s Museum Shop on October 4, 2019.

In a compelling narrative that features high drama, disappointment, tragedy, and ultimately, triumph, the inside story of the Kimbell Art Museum is told in Of the First Class for the first time.

When Texas business legend Kay Kimbell died in 1964, he left behind a sizable art collection and a vague but imposing mandate: to “build a museum of the first class.” No one could have foreseen the extent to which his dream would be accomplished.

His wife, Velma, his niece and heir, Kay Fortson, and her husband, Ben, achieved cultural greatness in an unlikely place and against all odds, with help from visionary experts and profound architects. Today, the museum is heralded around the globe for the quality of its collections and the architectural achievements that house them. 

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Gallery: Of the First Class Book

Of the First Class: A History of the Kimbell Art Museum, by Tim Madigan