132 Years of the Portland Art Museum
An brief overview of PAM's history. Founded in 1892, we're embarking on a new chapter slated to debut in 2025.
Historic Upper Ayer Wing by Portland Art Museum Library and ArchivesPortland Art Museum
The oldest art museum in the Pacific Northwest, the Portland Art Museum was founded in late 1892 when seven leaders from the city’s business and cultural institutions created the Portland Art Association.
Historic Ayer Entrance by Portland Art Museum Library and ArchivesPortland Art Museum
The Museum purchased its first collection, approximately one hundred plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculptures, with a gift of $10,000 from prominent local citizen Henry Corbett.
Portland Library (ca. 1920) by Portland Art Museum Library and ArchivesPortland Art Museum
This initial collection, purchased by one of the founders, Winslow B. Ayer, went on display in the Portland Art Museum’s first location in a public library at SW 7th and Stark streets. It immediately became one of Portland’s most important and popular cultural resources.
Afternoon Sky, Harney Desert (1908) by Childe HassamPortland Art Museum
In 1908, the Museum acquired its first original piece of art, Afternoon Sky, Harney Desert, by American impressionist painter Childe Hassam.
In 1909, Anna Belle Crocker succeeded Henrietta Failing as Curator of the Museum, a position she held until her retirement in 1936. Crocker became one of the Museum’s most important early figures.
She was also the first head of the Museum Art School, which opened in 1909.
Historic Sculpture Court by Portland Art Museum Library and ArchivesPortland Art Museum
The Museum’s current building opened to the public in 1932, at the corner of SW Park Avenue and SW Jefferson Street. Designed by noted Portland architect Pietro Belluschi, it is situated along downtown Portland’s South Park Blocks.
The Museum celebrated its centennial in 1992, which was marked by the purchase of an adjacent Masonic temple, now known as the Mark Building.
Rendering of Mark Rothko Pavilion Exterior Facing East (2023-05-01) by Hennebery Eddy Architects and Vinci Hamp ArchitectsPortland Art Museum
For the past decade, the Museum has been planning to connect our two buildings with the Mark Rothko Pavilion. In total, we are adding or renovating 95,000 square feet. Opening in 2025, the project will welcome visitors with a more accessible arts destination.
