Virtual Tours
Virtual Tours are a way to explore exhibitions at the Art Center online. Once you have selected a tour, use your cursor to move around the gallery or tap a circle to “stand” in front of a piece of art. Each artwork is labeled with title and artist.
Explore our extensive collections as if you’re at the museum, walking through the galleries.
The Des Moines Art Center launched virtual tours of their permanent collections and special exhibitions in March 2020. The tours allow visitors to click through the extensive collections as if they were at the museum, walking through the galleries.
Please note: Virtual tours are previously recorded and may not reflect works currently on view at the Des Moines Art Center.
Light Within Ourselves: Haitian Art in Iowa in the A. H. Blank Gallery
Organized in partnership with the Waterloo Center for the Arts (WCA), “Light Within Ourselves: Haitian Art in Iowa” showcases a selection of the rich holdings of Haitian Art…
Time Travelers in the Anna K. Meredith Gallery
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there,” states the opening line of a 1953 novel by English author L.P. Hartley. This sentence acknowledges the complexity and…
Minor Key in the John Brady Print Gallery
“Minor Key” is co-curated by Samantha Box and former Des Moines Art Center Curator Mia Laufer. It is organized in concert with the concurrent exhibition in the Anna K. Meredith…
As You See Me: 20th Century Mexican Photography
“As You See Me: 20th Century Mexican Photography” features work by luminaries of Mexican photography spanning from the crucial decades following the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) to globalized era of the…
Samantha Box: Caribbean Dreams in the Anna K. Meredith Gallery
Samantha Box is a Jamaica-born, New York-based photographer. Her newest body of work, created over the last six years, explores the concept of diaspora: the dispersion of a people from…
Coexist in the John Brady Print Gallery
“Coexist” delves into the rich, complicated relationship between humanity and nature, one based on both conflict and interdependence, revealing the connection between environmental activism and art. The exhibition features art…
Iowa Artists 2024: b. Robert Moore: In Loving Memory
Des Moines-based, Iowa-born artist b. Robert Moore is known for powerful, striking works of art that confront issues of social justice and Black identity. Visually and emotionally direct, Moore frequently…
Hurricane Season: Caribbean Art + Climate Change
Hurricanes and the devastation they bring have long been a part of life in the Caribbean, but with climate change, these storms are getting far more violent. “Hurricane Season” features…
States of Becoming in the Anna K. Meredith Gallery
“States of Becoming” examines the dynamic forces of relocation, resettling, and assimilation that shape the artistic practices of a group of contemporary African artists working in the United States. “States…
Transform Any Room in the Anna K. Meredith Gallery
“Transform Any Room” features subversive, politicized, and sometimes glamorized versions of the textiles and objects we bring into our homes that inevitably reveal much about who we are and how…
Double Take in the John Brady Print Gallery
The print gallery exhibition “Double Take” calls attention to the way photographers attempt to both announce and erase their presence in the final image chosen for print and presentation. Two…
Underneath Everything: Humility and Grandeur in Contemporary Ceramics
This exhibition features artworks that honor the humility of the medium while simultaneously evoking a sense of grandeur and possibility. Organized to coincide with the Art Center’s 75th anniversary, “Underneath…
Making the Art Center 1948 – 2023
“Making the Art Center 1948 – 2023” is a history exhibition that tells the story of the Des Moines Art Center through the people, places, and things that have made…
Rembrandt and His World in the John Brady Print Gallery
Although best known for its exceptional holdings in modern and contemporary art, the Des Moines Art Center owns a remarkable collection of Dutch Golden Age etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn…
Art Center: 75 Years of Iowa Art
The Des Moines Art Center has a rich history in supporting and showcasing Iowa’s community of artists; “75 Years of Iowa Art” represents that history in a uniquely curated exhibition…
Postcards: Recent Photography Acquisitions to the Art Center’s Collection in the John Brady Print Gallery
In recent years, the Art Center has made many photography additions to its permanent collections. This exhibition is the first in a series to present them to our audiences. Please…
Alison Elizabeth Taylor: The Sum of It in the Anna K. Meredith Gallery
Known for her daring and inventive fusion of the centuries-old practice of marquetry (wood inlay) with gritty and provocative subject matter, Alison Elizabeth Taylor tells tales that are unequivocally modern.
Justin Favela: Central American in the Anna K. Meredith Gallery
Justin Favela’s exuberant art is inspired by Latinx culture, art history, and food rendered in layer upon layer of vibrant strips of paper.
Hold Me Closer in the John Brady Print Gallery
“Hold Me Closer” showcases prints and photographs from the Des Moines Art Center’s permanent collections that explore the theme of intimacy in its myriad forms, including romantic, platonic, and familial.
Images Unbound in the Anna K. Meredith Gallery
Images Unbound examines the societal impact of the endless amount of images that have entered our world since the invention and proliferation of photography.
Manos in the John Brady Print Gallery
Produced in 1930, the print is a sensitive yet fastidious study of forearms and cupped hands. Orozco’s delicate presentation of hands is especially poignant considering his interest in depicting politically charged art that focuses on the labor force of Mexico.
The Richard Meier Building
Built in 1985, the Meier building contains three floors of artwork from the Art Center’s permanent collections.
The Krause Galleries
Located within the Eliel Saarinen building constructed in 1948, the Blank Two and Three Galleries contain rotating artwork from the Art Center’s permanent collections.
Researchers: Women Artists Inspired by Science in the John Brady Print Gallery
This exhibition of drawings, photographs, and prints explores the work of women artists from the 17th century forward who use research into biology, physics, engineering, astronomy, and other fields as fertile ground for aesthetic inspiration.
Black Stories in the Anna K. Meredith Gallery
Black Stories presents the artwork by Black artists in the Art Center’s permanent collections, and aims to connect and partner with the community in the process.
Black Stories in the I.M. Pei Gallery
Black Stories presents the artwork by Black artists in the Art Center’s permanent collections, and aims to connect and partner with the community in the process.
Iowa Artists 2020: Rachel Cox in the Blank Gallery
Iowa Artists 2020 will feature selections from photographer Rachel Cox’s “Mors Scena” series.
The Path to Paradise: Judith Schaechter’s Stained-Glass Art in the Anna K. Meredith Gallery
The Path to Paradise: Judith Schaechter’s Stained-Glass Art is the first survey and major scholarly assessment of this groundbreaking artist’s 37-year career.