Saint Louis University Museum of Art

Saint Louis University Museum of Art
3663 Lindell Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108
P: 314.977.2666
Directions: Take I-64/40 to the Grand Boulevard exit. Turn onto Grand Boulevard North and go two blocks to Lindell. Turn left onto Lindell. SLUMA is the middle of the three large masonry building on the north (right) side of Lindell.
http://www.slu.edu/sluma.xml

The University (briefly)
Saint Louis University began as St. Louis College in November, 1818 and its origin is credited to Reverend Louis William Du Bourg, then Catholic Bishop of Louisiana. In November 1829, per Du Bourg's request, the struggling St. Louis College began its tenure under Jesuit administration with Father Peter J. Verhaegen, S.J., becoming the school's first Jesuit president. Eventually, in 1867, St. Louis University purchased land at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Lindell Boulevard as the future site of the university. SLU opened its first building on the new campus in 1888, what would become known as DuBourg Hall. Over the next 100 plus years, St. Louis University would enhance its mission to "teach young people how to become practical, socially responsible, humanistic and spiritual human beings" by opening new Schools including Medicine, Law, Commerce, Finance, and Aviation.

The Building
The building, today also known as Doris O'Donnel Hall, was built in 1900 as the home of the St. Louis Club at a cost of $320,000. The St. Louis Club was probably the most exclusive club of its time and the Lindell building was the physical representation of the Club. (It is said the idea and organization for much of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair occurred inside the St. Louis Club.) The St. Louis Club sold the building after a fire in 1925 that only inflicted minor damage. The building was used by a number of companies in the following years until St. Louis University eventually purchased the building in 1992 from Francis E. O'Donnell Jr. M.D., a Saint Louis University alumnus. The building became home for the SLU Graduate School and the School of Public Health and was known as O'Donnell Hall. The building was later named the Doris O'Donnell Hall in honor of Dr. O'Donnell's mother.

The Exhibits
The four floors (only three were open during my visit) containing the galleries are a mix of temporary and permanent exhibitions for viewing. The first and second floors contain a number of galleries that rotate at different intervals and cover a broad spectrum of artists. During my visit, on exhibit was highlighting the life of chess master and artist Marcel Duchamp as well as an exhibit on the Russian Empire: both the Russian Orthodox Church and the Empire itself.

The third floor exhibit contains historical items highlighting Saint Louis University and Jesuit history. This exhibit provides the visitor, especially non-Catholic's like myself, a great opportunity to learn about the Catholic Church, its customs, history and the University's history in much more detail. The fourth floor contains the Asian Decorative Arts exhibit. This exhibit contains "the most extensive collection of Japanese netsuke found in the Middle West"

Collectively, the St. Louis University Museum of Art is an excellent collection of both religious and non-religious pieces in addition to being an exhibition of the University's history through its artifacts. I would encourage a visit for anyone wanting to learn more about St. Louis and one of the city's largest universities.