{Infobox museum
|name = Pensacola Museum of Art
|image = Pensacola HD MOA01.jpg
|caption =
|latitude = 30.40837
|longitude = -87.21335
|map_type = Florida
|established = 1954
|dissolved =
|location = Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...

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|collection =
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|website = pensacolamuseumofart.org
In 1954 a group of determined women combined their efforts to create an Art Center for the City of Pensacola. Members of the Ameri-can Association of University Women (AAUW) wanted a place to ex¬hibit traveling shows, offer art classes for both children and adults, and provide meeting space for members of the community as well as having a forum for lectures, films and other cultural presenta¬tions. They joined forces with others in the community who shared this same vision and formed the Pensacola Art Association (PAA).

When the City of Pensacola decided to replace the 1906 Old City Jail in 1954, the Pensacola Art Association embraced the opportu¬nity to transform the Spanish Revival structure from a site of pun¬ishment and humiliation to a center of enlightenment and beauty. The structure itself was perfect for an arts center because the jail was already fireproof, secure and centrally located in Pensacola’s Historic Downtown District. When the City allowed the group to lease the old jail for $1 per year, the PAA’s Board members pulled together to turn the jail cells into exhibition spaces. Initially the City leased the building to the PAA, which became the Pensacola Museum of Art in 1982 and in 1988 the Museum purchased the building that is known to this day as the Pensacola Museum of Art (PMA).

Establishment of the Museum’s permanent collection began soon after incorporation in 1954. The collection contains 20th and 21st century works by artists such as Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Leonard Baskin, Salvador Dali, Thomas Hart Benton, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Käthe Kollwitz. Over the course of the past 54 years, the PMA has presented hundreds of exhibitions and thousands of educational opportunities, be¬coming the foundation for the visual arts in Pensacola.

Collections

The museum's permanent collections focus on 20th century, modern

Modern art

Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...

 and contemporary art

Contemporary art

Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...

, including painting

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...

, sculpture

Sculpture

Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

 and works on paper. The museum also features decorative arts collections of European and American glass and African tribal art.

Artists in the collection include John Marin

John Marin

John Marin was an early American modernist artist. He is known for his abstract landscapes and watercolors.-Biography:...

, Salvador Dali

Salvador Dalí

Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....

, Miriam Schapiro

Miriam Schapiro

Miriam Schapiro is a Canadian-born artist based in America. She is a pioneer of feminist art. She is also considered part of the Pattern and Decoration art movement....

, Fairfield Porter

Fairfield Porter

Fairfield Porter was an American painter and art critic. He was the brother of photographer Eliot Porter and the brother-in-law of federal Reclamation Commissioner Michael W. Straus....

, Thomas Hart Benton

Thomas Hart Benton (painter)

Thomas Hart Benton was an American painter and muralist. Along with Grant Wood and John Steuart Curry, he was at the forefront of the Regionalist art movement. His fluid, almost sculpted paintings showed everyday scenes of life in the United States...

, Alex Katz

Alex Katz

Alex Katz is an American figurative artist associated with the Pop art movement. In particular, he is known for his paintings, sculptures, and prints and is represented by numerous galleries internationally.-Life and work:...

, Lynda Benglis

Lynda Benglis

Lynda Benglis is an American sculptor known for her wax paintings and poured latex sculptures. After earning a BFA from Newcomb College in 1964, Benglis moved to New York, where she lives and works today...

, Milton Avery

Milton Avery

Milton Avery was an American modern painter. Born in Altmar, New York, he moved to Connecticut in 1898 and later to New York City.-Biography:...

 and Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...

.