The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum, internationally renowned for its holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum’s collection has a diverse permanent collection of more than 45,000 works of art from around the world.
The Cleveland Museum of Art, in addition to its permanent collection, provides special exhibitions, lectures, films, and musical programs.
The department of performing arts, music, and film hosts a film series and the museum’s Performing Arts events.
A Virtual Tour of the Cleveland Museum of Art
- “The Burning of the Houses of Parliament” by J. M. W. Turner
- The Stargazer (Statuette of a Woman)
- Apollo the Python-Slayer
- The Emperor as Philosopher, Marcus Aurelius
- The Thinker
- Statue of Gudea
- Notre Dame Seen from the Quai de la Tournelle” by Jean-François Raffaëlli
- “Seaside” by James Tissot
- “The Call” by Paul Gauguin
- “Combat of a Tiger and a Buffalo” by Henri Rousseau
- “Cupid and Psyche” by Jacques-Louis David
- Masterpieces of the Cleveland Museum of Art
- “Stag at Sharkey’s” by George Bellows
Highlights of the Cleveland Museum of Art
“The Burning of the Houses of Parliament” by J. M. W. Turner
“The Burning of the Houses of Parliament” by J. M. W. Turner depicts the fire that broke out at the Houses of Parliament in 1834. Turner himself witnessed the Burning of Parliament from the south bank of the River Thames, opposite Westminster.
The painting shows the Houses of Parliament overwhelmed in golden flames, which are consuming the chamber of the House of Commons.
This depiction is the view from downstream, close to Waterloo Bridge, and shows the fire and smoke blowing dramatically over the Thames as the London spectators look on from the river bank and boats.
The Stargazer (Statuette of a Woman)
This 5,000-year-old marble sculpture of a female figure is called the “Stargazer.” The name derives from the way her eyes are looking up to the stars above.
Created in translucent marble, this is an unusual sculpture because her head is sculptured entirely in the round. Her body is reduced to a simple yet elegant profile.
The nose is depicted as a slight ridge on a straight-line edge. The head tilted backward; the eyes are tiny dots raised in relief.
Apollo the Python-Slayer
Apollo the Python-Slayer is attributed to the master sculptor Praxiteles (Greek, 400 – 330 BC) and is a rare historical object as it is the only known life-size bronze version of the Apollo the Python-Slayer.
Praxiteles’s creation represents Apollo’s victory over the Python, representing a triumph of order (kosmos) over disorder (chaos).
The Emperor as Philosopher, Marcus Aurelius
“The Emperor as Philosopher” is a bronze statue which is probably of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
He was Emperor of Rome from 161 to 180 AD and was a practitioner of Stoicism. His writings, known as “Meditations,” are a significant source of our understanding of the ancient Stoic philosophy and is one of the notable works of philosophy.
The Thinker
“The Thinker” by Auguste Rodin was initially conceived for his monumental bronze portal entitled “The Gates of Hell” (1880-1917).
The figure was intended to represent Italian poet Dante pondering “The Divine Comedy,” his epic classic of Paradise and Inferno.
Initially, this masterpiece had several other names, including “The Poet.” In 1889, Rodin exhibited the sculpture independently of The Gates, giving it the title “The Thinker,” and in 1902, he embarked on this larger version.
It has since become one of his most recognized masterpieces.
Statue of Gudea
Gudea was the political and religious governor of Lagash, one of the oldest Sumerian cities in Ancient Mesopotamia. Gudea ruled between 2144 – 2124 BC, and about twenty-seven statues of Gudea have been found.
These 4,000-year-old statues show a very advanced level of craftsmanship for the time.
Also, more than 2,400 inscriptions have been found that mention his name and describe his 20-year campaign of city improvements, which included new temples and irrigation canals. He was also a patron of the arts.
Many statues of Gudea, both seated and standing, can be found in museums across the world.
Notre Dame Seen from the Quai de la Tournelle” by Jean-François Raffaëlli
“Notre Dame Seen from the Quai de la Tournelle” by Jean-François Raffaëlli depicts the eastern façade of Notre-Dame from across the Seine.
Raffaëlli shows the flying buttresses of the apse of Notre-Dame, the spire of the cathedral, and the towers on the west facade. Notre Dame was a popular and immediately recognizable subject for artists to paint.
“Seaside” by James Tissot
Tissot left Paris after the Franco-Prussian War and resided in London from 1871.
He knew James McNeill Whistler and Edgar Degas, but turned away from Impressionism and focused mainly on portraits and genre paintings of the Victorian upper classes in a more polished academic style.
These pictures are typical of Tissot’s work, depicting his subjects with almost photographic realism. He composed ambiguous narratives that hinted at risqué behavior among the wealthy classes and the boundaries of propriety.
“The Call” by Paul Gauguin
“The Call” by Paul Gauguin is part of a series of the artist’s late works that explore the mysteries of life and death. Two women stand bare feet, with one of the women gesturing to someone outside the picture.
Gauguin, at this late stage in his life, was painting from memory and imagination to achieve mysterious, dreamlike images. Paul Gauguin was preparing himself to respond to his “call” from destiny.
“Combat of a Tiger and a Buffalo” by Henri Rousseau
“Combat of a Tiger and a Buffalo” by Henri Rousseau is a highly stylized and unique depiction of simplified images of animals and nature painted in flat, bright colors.
ousseau’s imaginative visions and the technique of painting was unique. He applied one layer at a time, creating multiple layers, and he carefully blended his brushstrokes to create a smooth surface.
Masterpieces of the Cleveland Museum of Art
A Summary of all the links related to the Cleveland Museum of Art.
“Cupid and Psyche” by Jacques-Louis David
“Cupid and Psyche” by Jacques-Louis David depicts the challenge of between idealized love and physical reality. Cupid is the lover of the mortal Psyche, and he visited her nightly on the condition that she does not know his identity.
Cupid was usually depicted as an ideal adolescent, but in this painting, David presents him as an ungainly teenager smirking at his sexual conquest.
David’s inspiration for the depiction of Cupid included a recently published Greek poem that described Cupid as a trickster with flashing eyes and curly hair.
“Stag at Sharkey’s” by George Bellows
“Stag at Sharkey’s” by George Bellows depicts two boxers fighting at Sharkey’s Athletic Club situated across from his studio in 1909.
Participants in the boxing ring were usually members of the club, but occasionally outsiders would fight with temporary memberships. These fighters were known as “stags.”
The Club was founded by Tom “Sailor” Sharkey, an ex-fighter who had also served in the US Navy. Public boxing was illegal in New York at the time, so only private events could be arranged for a boxing bout to take place.
Participation was usually limited to members of a particular club, but whenever an outsider competed, he was given temporary membership.
Cleveland Museum of Art
- Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
- City: Cleveland
- Country: United States
- Established: 1876
- Type: Art Museum
- Collection Size: 240,000
- Locations: 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, United States
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- American Proverbs and Quotes
Cleveland Museum of Art – Map
Cleveland Museum of Art – 5 galleries you should see
Walking Tour of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s New East Wing
The Cleveland Museum of Art presents Conservation in Focus: Caravaggio’s Crucifixion of Saint Andrew
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“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.”
– Joseph Campbell
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