Art and nature in harmony
NOMA is committed to the health and safety of our community. Please see safety guidelines below.
Admission is free. Donations are appreciated.
Open seven days a week
Summer Hours (April–September) 10 am–6 pm | Winter Hours (October–March) 10 am–5 pm
Wheelchairs may be used throughout our barrier-free property and are available upon request.
Image: Elyn Zimmerman’s Mississippi Meanders bridge is illuminated at dusk.
The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden occupies approximately eleven acres in City Park adjacent to the museum. Atypical of most sculpture gardens, this garden is located within a mature existing landscape of pines, magnolias, and live oaks surrounding two lagoons. The garden design creates outdoor viewing spaces within this picturesque landscape. Originally conceived in 2003, the Sculpture Garden doubled in size in 2019 and has grown to include more than 90 sculptures. READ MORE
Sydney and Walda Besthoff are the namesake visionary founders behind a world-renowned sculpture garden for New Orleans.
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Architects, landscape architects, lighting designers, and arborists were among the contractors who made it all possible.
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See highlights of the Sculpture Garden in a virtual tour produced in partnership with the Google Arts & Culture Initiative.
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You can play a role in the historic expansion of the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden by making a gift to support the project.
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Relive the excitement of the grand opening of the Besthoff Sculpture Garden expansion in May 2019.
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Bronze
Pablo Casals’s Obelisk, a towering accumulation of welded bronze cellos, dominates the waters of a lagoon in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Standing over twenty feet tall, the Obelisk, built in homage to the world-renowned Spanish-Puerto Rican cellist and human rights activist Pablo Casals, is an imposing example of monumental sculpture by French-born artist Arman.
The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art offers detailed entries on 64 artworks in the original 2003 garden, as well as a bibliography and overview of the garden’s founding. 192 pages, hardcover. Edited by Miranda Lash. $49.95
Jazz Fest is here 🎷🎶🎙️ Did you know the artist Sister Gertrude Morgan sold her artwork at @jazzfest through the early 1970s?
Swipe to learn more about this brilliant New Orleans artist and her place in the city`s and festival`s history.
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NOMA Museum Shop Book Sale | May 12 - 17, in-store and online
Getting your summer reading list in order? From Tuesday, May 12, through Sunday, May 17, check out the @neworleansmuseumofart Museum Shop Book Sale and build up your summer TBR 😎
During this sale, you can find:
📖 20-50% markdowns on select in-store, regular-priced books
📚️ 70%+ markdowns on already discounted titles
📕 20% off all books available online
🔗 Browse current book selections online now at the link in our bio
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Happy birthday to artist Joan Miró, born on this day in 1893
Miró`s self-proclaimed artistic goal was to "assassinate painting" as it was widely understood during his lifetime. Through his use of harsh colors, warped forms, and readymade materials, Miró`s approach to his work challenged more traditional notions about what "good art" ought to be—and how it ought to be made.
The result of the artist`s experimentation with form and medium (seen here in 1935`s "Portrait of a Young Girl," which utilizes sand, cardboard, and oil paints) are playful, expressive paintings that feel equal parts whimsical and masterful.
🎨: Joan Miró, "Portrait of a Young Girl," 1935. Oil with sand on cardboard, 41 3/8 x 29 3/8 in.; 49 x 37 in. (framed). Bequest of Victor K. Kiam, 77.294.
📍: @neworleansmuseumofart, George L. Viavant Gallery (second floor)
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Taurus season has landed in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden at @neworleansmuseumofart ♉️🐂💫
Those born under the earth sign of Taurus bask in all-things cozy, familiar, and beautiful. (No wonder the moon is exalted under this sign.)
Whereas the fellow Venus-ruled Libra tends to seek balance and delight through social connections, Taurus is more focused on finding these things in the material world: they feel just as happy taking in the natural beauty of a meadow as they do when finally perfecting their at-home reading nook.
Reliable, grounded, and persistent, Taurus` trademark stubbornness often stems from their desire to provide safety and stability—not just for themselves, but also for those they feel closest to.
Thinking of taking your favorite Taurus out for a birthday rendezvous? If so, a trip to the Besthoff Sculpture Garden may be just what you`re looking for.
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🎨: George Segal, "Three Figures and Four Benches," 1979. Painted Bronze, 52 x 144 x 58 in (132.08 x 365.76 x 147.32 cm). Gift of the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Foundation, 98.147. (📸: @johnweirick)
🎨: Sarah Sze, "Certain Slant of Light," 2024. Stainless steel. Museum purchase with gifted funds from the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Foundation, 2024.
🎨: Frank Gehry, "Bear With Us," 2014. Stainless steel, 45.5 x 84.75 x 45.75 inches. Museum purchase with fund provided by Sydney and Walda Besthoff. 2019.3
🎨: Baltasar Lobo, "Grande jeune fille a genoux," conceived in 1987, cast in 1994. Bronze with brown patina, 84 inches. Gift of Sydney and Walda Besthoff, 2016.63.
🎨: Pietro Consagra, "Conversation with the Moon," 1960. Cast in white stone and bronze, 49 1/2 x 50 1/4 x 4 in (125.73 x 127.635 x 10.16 cm). Gift of John W. Lolley, 99.5
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THIS SUMMER: NOMA TEEN BOOK CLUB 📚️☀️🏛️
On select Fridays this summer, readers ages 13 to 18 are invited to NOMA’s new Teen Book Club, a space to build literary engagement and connect with other teens through storytelling, culture, and community at @neworleansmuseumofart.
The four dates and book selections for Teen Book Club are:
📕 5/8, 1-2 pm: “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon
📗 6/12, 1-2 pm: “Felix Ever After” by Kacen Callender
📘 7/24, 1-2 pm: “Shadowshaper” by Daniel Jose Older
📙 8/7, 1-2 pm: “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde, which is also on the required reading list for Louisiana English Language Arts
Participants can join us either via Zoom or in-person in the museum’s second-floor art studio
Book club selections will also be available in the NOMA Museum Shop, where members receive a 10% discount on their purchase.
📝 This program is free for all participants. You must be between the ages of 13 and 18 to participate. Participants must bring their own copy of each month’s book.
🔗 Learn more about these selections and sign up at the link in our bio
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On 3/28, our Art Thrives Clay and Wire Sculpture Workshop participants displayed their final creations in a group showcase outside the @neworleansmuseumofart`s second-floor art studio.
Inspired by the exhibition "Hayward Oubre: Structural Integrity," participants spent 8 weeks diving into various clay and wire sculpture techniques to create their own unique artworks blending the two mediums.
Thank you to all of our participants, teaching artists, and staff who made this wonderful workshop series and showcase possible 🩵
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We’re making continual changes to bring all of our engaging digital offerings to the forefront of our website. We invite you to keep coming back for new content and exciting updates!
Discover artworks, collections, and stories in a digital format from NOMA like never before.
