The Asian art section is so vast it is impossible to view the entire collection in one visit, and that holds for the European collection, too. There are many famous European artists represented, from the childlike, crayon-colored Edvard Munch work "Girls on a Bridge" to the dark, brooding portrait "Bust of a Jew" by Rembrandt. There are many impressionist works in the collection, including Camille Pissarro's pastoral "Near Sydenham Hill." This dreamy work has a calming effect on the viewer, and represents a bucolic country scene with large, bare trees in the foreground and green pastures in the distance. It is a beautiful rendition of the English countryside, and the blues and greens of the work are muted, as if the viewer is looking at the painting through a soft, gentle mist.

There is also quite a remarkable collection of Renaissance Art, mostly from Italy, which includes sculpture and other works. It is quite interesting...

Renaissance Art was extremely detailed, and usually religious in nature, while later art took on a dark, shadowy effect, such as Rembrandt's work. Impressionism took art in new directions, making the works more light, vivid, and realistic, rather than detailed and dark. It is good to see all these works side by side, to see intensely the differences in color, texture, light, and shadow.
Other collections include Pre-Columbian, and African. There is much to see at the Kimball Art Museum, inside and out. One visit is not enough to see everything; this is the type of museum to visit many times to get the full effect of the art, the collection, and the unusual building itself. Beginning with the earliest forms of art and moving through the galleries in sequence brings a sense of the long history of art, and how important it is to every culture on Earth.

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