Best Art Museums In Louisville, Kentucky

art museums in louisville
William
William 
Updated
| 4 min read

As Kentucky’s largest city, Louisville is endowed with fantastic tourist attractions like botanical gardens, museums, shopping malls, zoos, waterparks, and art galleries where you engage in recreational activities such as ziplining, camping, educational tours, and swimming. Top sightseeing destinations include the Waterfront Park, Speed Art Museum, Muhammad Ali Center, and Willow Park, which both the locals and tourists visit often. This city is also home to renowned and emerging artists who create and display their pieces of art made from all forms of materials—ranging from plastics, wood, glass to metals—in museums and art galleries for the public to marvel at or buy. The art museums and galleries are spread out in the city and open to the public. Read on to find out about the best art museums in Louisville, Kentucky.

1. The Speed Art Museum

Louisville, speed art museum, interno 01
Source: Photo by user Sailko used under CC BY 3.0

Situated in the University of Louisville, this museum is the oldest and biggest in Kentucky. There’s a diverse collection of art pieces on display from different artists, centuries, and cultures. It is handicapped-accessible and kid-friendly as well. You’ll find a gift shop with amazing artworks like jewelry and clothing that you can buy as a gift for someone or as a souvenir. There’s also a cafe at the museum where helpful and welcoming staff serves tasty food like salmon patties and burgers, as well as beverages. The museum is also a venue for special events organized by local artists to showcase their pieces of art.

The Speed Art Museum

Address: 2035 S 3rd St, Louisville, KY 40208, United States

Website: The Speed Art Museum

Opening hours: Wed, Thu & Sat: 10am - 5pm; Fri: 10am - 8pm; Sun: 12pm - 5pm (closed on Mon & Tue)

Price: Members and kids aged 3 & under: free; Adults: 18 USD; Seniors (aged 60+): 12 USD; Kids aged 4–17: 12 USD

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2. KMAC Museum

Stairway to Art
Source: Photo by user PunkToad used under CC BY 2.0

KMAC Museum is home to unique contemporary artwork. You’ll find intriguing exhibits from all over the world at this museum that are informative and thought-provoking. Inside it is a clean and modern atmosphere, with knowledgeable and helpful staff. There’s a gift shop on the first floor with beautiful artworks sold at reasonable prices that you can check out for souvenirs and presents. Among the many events held at this museum is the poetry slam taking place once a month involving talented and creative poets.

KMAC Museum

Address: 715 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202, United States

Website: KMAC Museum

Opening hours: Tue - Sat: 10am - 6pm; Sun: 10am - 5pm (closed on Mon)

Price: Free

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3. 21c Museum Hotel

21C Hotel and Museum - Penguin and Chandelier
Source: Photo by user Jamie used under CC BY 2.0

Are you looking for a hotel by art lovers? If yes, then consider making 21c Museum Hotel a priority. It’s 9,000 square feet (836 square meters) of exhibition space. This unique museum is both a hotel and a museum at the same place. The hotel founders have placed rotating pieces of art at strategic locations throughout the hotel that are part of their growing art collection. Located in downtown Louisville, the museum is free and open daily. You’ll also be served by knowledgeable and welcoming staff.

21c Museum Hotel

Address: 700 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202, United States

Website: 21c Museum Hotel

Opening hours: Open 24 hours

Price: Free

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Art galleries

4. Tim Faulkner Gallery

Congratulations to Jen Goodell on a beautiful final show in Louisville! Her absence will be hard to get use to. We will...

Posted by Tim Faulkner Gallery on Saturday, 1 December 2018

This art gallery is endowed with a great ambiance and fantastic rotating artworks on display for you to enjoy. Apart from the excellent pieces of art, there’s a studio for art creation and promotion. There’s a space in the gallery that hosts fun events like poetry slams and open mics that are open to the public. For tasty refreshments, visit the galleries’ bar, Stopline, which serves drinks like beer, coffee, cocktails, and wine for you to enjoy while listening to the vibrant music. There is also a well-stocked bookstore in the gallery for those looking to buy books.

Tim Faulkner Gallery

Address: 991 Logan St, Louisville, KY 40203, United States

Website: Tim Faulkner Gallery

Opening hours: Mon, Tue & Thur: 11am - 1am; Wed: 11am - 12am; Fri & Sat: 11am - 2am; Sun: 2pm - 1am

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5. B Deemer Gallery

Tatjana Krizmanic exhibit extended through June 19th! @tatjana_krizmanic_artist #worksonpaper #oilpainting #bdeemergallery #landscapepainting #peopleinart #art #buyart #artforthehome #louisvilleartgallery

Posted by B. Deemer Gallery on Thursday, 6 June 2019

Opened in 1990, B Deemer Gallery is home to paintings from the 20th and 21st centuries. You’ll find unique paintings on display ranging from acrylic, oil, spray, to pastel in the in-house gallery. Apart from the paintings, there are custom frames for your artwork or photos. You’ll be served by knowledgeable and welcoming staff right from when you walk in and all through the art gallery. The exhibition features famous artists like Richard Schlecht, Liz Price, Barbara Young, and Henry Chodkowski who sell their creative pieces of art on their website and at the art house.

B Deemer Gallery

Address: 2650 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, KY 40206, United States

Website: B Deemer Gallery

Opening hours: Mon - Sat: 10am - 5:30pm; (closed on Sun)

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6. Pyro Gallery

Claudia Hammer

Posted by PYRO Art Gallery on Friday, 27 April 2018

For contemporary art that’s intriguing and tells a story in Louisville, then visit this art gallery. It’s endowed with pieces of art like paintings, photographs, sculptures, ceramics, and jewelries for you to enjoy. This clean art house comes with beautiful finishings and lighting making it ideal for gatherings and events like weddings. Specializing in business art sale, you’re are spoilt for choice in the array of artwork they supply.

Pyro Gallery

Address: 1006 E Washington St, Louisville, KY 40206, United States

Website: Pyro Gallery

Opening hours: Thu - Sat: 12pm - 6pm; (closed on Sun, Mon, Tue & Wed)

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7. Kore Gallery

Posted by Kore Gallery on Saturday, 23 March 2019

With a vintage urban setting, this exhibition seeks to showcase local artists and celebrate people in society. It’s home to contemporary art, displaying pieces of art like paintings, sculptures, clothing, and jewelries by some of the best artists in Louisville. This well-lighted and spacious gallery has a friendly and helpful staff as well. It also hosts events showcasing pieces of art by professional and talented artists.

Kore Gallery

Address: 942 E Kentucky St, Louisville, KY 40203, United States

Website: Kore Gallery

Opening hours: Tue - Fri: 10am - 5pm; Sat: 11am - 5pm; Sun: 12pm - 5pm (closed on Mon)

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8. CRAFT{s} Gallery & Mercantile

Floors are clean-ready for company! Opening reception of Horsepower is tonight 6-10 pm. #openingreception #artopening #louisvilleky #derby #equineart #oilpainting #watercolor #craftgallery502

Posted by Craft Gallery & Mercantile on Friday, 5 April 2019

Founded in 2013, this art gallery is home to traditional and contemporary art in Louisville, Kentucky. You will see impressive, diverse art collections like sculptures, ceramics, photography, handmade candles, jewelry, and paintings from local, regional, and national artists within the gallery. Plus, you can buy pieces of art on sale here and carry home souvenirs or gifts for your loved ones. The gallery’s primary goal is to promote local artists and makers who make art for daily living.

CRAFT{s} Gallery & Mercantile

Address: 572 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202, United States

Website: CRAFT{s} Gallery & Mercantile

Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 10am - 6pm; Sat: 12pm - 6pm (closed on Sun)

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9. Revelry Boutique Gallery

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account


Revelry Boutique Gallery has a unique display of handmade art like wall hangings, jewelries, paintings, clothing, and potteries by talented local artists. It’s an ideal spot for gifts, souvenirs, and home decor items. Their unique pieces of art on sale are creative and affordable. This gallery is wheelchair-accessible, and welcoming and well-informed staff will greet you along the way. The showcased art is from local talent to support and encourage the local art scene.

Revelry Boutique Gallery

Address: 742 E Market St, Louisville, KY 40202, United States

Website: Revelry Boutique Gallery

Opening hours: Sun & Mon: 11am - 6pm; Tue - Thur: 11am - 7pm; Fri & Sat: 11am - 8pm

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Spectacular display of art in Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is richly endowed with spots to enjoy creative works of art. These spots have artworks from ancient to modern times, done by renowned and emerging artists for thought-provoking and fun memories. The exhibitions also keep changing the location of their art, interior design, artwork, and customer service in the quest to bring out the best experience to the public. So, the next time you visit, check out the best art museums in Louisville, Kentucky.

Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!
Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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William believes that we should strive to make the world a better place. He's passionate about landscapes, the ocean, and people. When not traveling, he enjoys swimming, hiking, and planning for...Read more

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