In 2002 the Modern celebrated the 110th anniversary of its founding charter, granted in 1892 to the Fort Worth Public Library and Art Gallery. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is the oldest art museum in Texas and one of the oldest museums in the western United States. The Modern maintains one of the foremost collections of postwar art in the central United States. The Museum's permanent collection consists of approximately 2,600 works of art, including paintings, sculpture, site-specific installations, drawings, prints, photographs and videotapes/discs. A new home for the Modern Art Museum, designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, opened in Fort Worth's Cultural District on December 14, 2002.

April 2, 1892 Establishment of the Fort Worth Public Library and Art Gallery Association

April 25, 1892 Founding Charter granted to the Fort Worth Public Library and Art Gallery by the State of Texas

1901 New Building for the Carnegie Public Library and Art Gallery opens to the public

1904 First purchase for the permanent collection of the painting Approaching Storm, 1875, by George Inness

1909 First comprehensive exhibition of forty-five paintings by contemporary American artists (the first exhibition assembled by the American Federation of the Arts, Washington, D.C.)

1910 Name changes to the Fort Worth Museum of Art
Formation of the Fort Worth Art Association

1928 Fort Worth Museum of Art chosen as new name
Authorized catalogue of works in the permanent collection

1936 Demolition of the Carnegie Public Library at 9th & Throckmorton

June 28, 1939 New Fort Worth Public Library and expanded Fort Worth Museum of Art open at same site

Late 1930s Creation of a Junior Art Association
First art appreciation courses for children

1946 Citizens of Fort Worth approve a $500,000 bond issue for construction of Fort Worth's first museum building, present site at Montgomery & West Lancaster selected

1950 Fort Worth City Council approves sale of $800,000 in bonds for construction of the art museum and a children's museum (now the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History)

June, 1951 Fort Worth Art Association Board of Directors hires the first professional director of the newly named Fort Worth Art Center

September, 1951 Architect Herbert Bayer selected to design the new facility

June 3, 1953 Ground-breaking ceremonies for the new building

October 7, 1954 Grand opening of the Fort Worth Art Center

January, 1961 Amon Carter Museum opens

1964 Gift of $900,000 from the William Edrington Scott Foundation for Scott Theatre, an extension of the Art Center

January 5, 1965 Ground-breaking for the Scott Theatre

January, 1966 Scott Theatre opens

1971 Name changes to The Fort Worth Art Museum-Center

1972 Fort Worth Art Association wins City Council approval for a $1.4 million expansion of the Fort Worth Art Center complex, funded by Sid W. Richardson Foundation

October, 1972 Kimbell Art Museum opens

1974 Building reopens as The Fort Worth Art Museum with an extensive new addition designed by Texas architects O'Neil Ford and Associates

1985 Director's Council created to give younger members of community an opportunity to participate in acquisitions for the museum

1987 Name changes to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

November, 1995 Modern Art Museum opens an annex, The Modern at Sundance Square, downtown in the Sanger Building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, located at 4th & Houston Streets

July, 1996 New site for the Modern Art Museum purchased with grant from The Burnett Foundation

September, 1996 Six international architects invited to submit proposals for the Modem Art Museum's new building

April, 1997 Design proposals for the new building are unveiled to the museum's board and the public

May 6, 1997 Tadao Ando's design chosen for new Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth building

October, 1999 Construction begins on the site of the Modern's new home.

May 1, 2002 Montgomery Street location closes

August 24, 2002 Sundance Square location closes

December 14, 2002 Grand opening of the new Modern Art Museum

The Modern focuses on modern and contemporary American and European art including painting, sculpture, works on paper, and international contemporary photography. The permanent collection contains works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Clyford Still, Robert Motherwell, Agnes Martin, Robert Rauschenberg, Philip Guston, Cindy Sherman, Andre Serrano, Hiroshi Sugimoto, William Wegman, Barbara Ess, Anselm Kiefer, Gerhard Richter, and Susan Rothenberg.

The Modern has established a long-standing commitment to promoting Texas artists, and has organized a number of exhibitions highlighting Texas artists.

The museum also has an extensive collection of Day of the Dead (El Dia De Los Muertos) materials and hosts an annual celebration.

The staff is currently updating the collections catalogue. The Registrar's files are available for research by appointment. Information on the collection may be obtained through the museum's library and on the internet.

Studio courses,Special events/celebrations,College internships, High school gallery and studio workshops,High school apprenticeships Educators guide,Lecture series. The Modern also offers a summer art camp for children.

The Modern s education department provides tours for Fort Worth public schools. A repeat visit program brings high school students to the museum three to four times during a year s time to work with artists on activities related to a specific exhibition. The Modern collaborates with local schools for an annual Day of the Dead celebration. The Modern's educational materials are specific to their collections or a particular exhibition and are available upon request.

The museum offers a quarterly calender to our members that is also available for purchase in the museum gift shop.