NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale-Fort Lauderdale

The NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, established in 1958, is widely recognized as the best place to experience exhibitions and programs covering the full breadth of humankind’s visual culture. The collection at NSU’s Art Museum is unparalleled in its breadth and depth, allowing visitors unparalleled access to the pinnacle of artistic achievement.

The mission of the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is to engage a wide audience through diverse and innovative exhibitions, dynamic education and public programs, the development of an exceptional collection, and the encouragement of original research and intellectual inquiry, as well as to provide exceptional opportunities for accessing, learning about, and being inspired by the highest level of visual artistic expression throughout time and around the world.

Located in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale, one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States, the Museum serves as the nerve center of the South Florida Art Coast, which stretches from Miami to Palm Beach. The iconic modernist structure, designed by the late Edward Larrabee Barnes and opened in 1986, is instantly recognizable. The Museum is situated in the heart of Fort Lauderdale’s bustling Arts and Entertainment District, just steps away from the eclectic boutiques, trendy eateries, and art galleries of the nearby Las Olas Boulevard and the beautiful Riverwalk waterfront promenade.

There is a 256-seat auditorium, Museum Store, and Cafe within the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale’s 83,000-square-foot building. Bonnie Clearwater, the Museum’s visionary Director and Chief Curator, has been at the helm since 2013. Clearwater is responsible for the Museum’s international exhibition program, which seeks to challenge viewers’ perceptions of the world around them.

The permanent collection at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale spans the 19th to the 21st centuries and features over 7,500 works by renowned artists from Latin America, contemporary art with an emphasis on women, Black and Latinx artists, and Africa. The museum is home to the largest collection of works by post-war, avant-garde CoBrA (an acronym for Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam) artists, including the largest collection of 19th and early 20th century paintings and drawings by the American realist William Glackens.

The Museum uses its collection to mount exhibitions that address topics of interest to the South Florida community, such as identity, inequality, injustice, and the promotion of empathy, compassion, and awe. The collections are complemented by the William J. Glackens Study Center and the Dr. Stanley and Pearl Goodman Latin American Art Study Center. Nova Southeastern University is one of the largest private research universities in the United States, and in 2008 the Museum became a part of the university.