Elisabet Ney Museum

Elisabet Ney Studio and Museum
Location 304 E. 44th St
Austin, Texas, United States
Coordinates 30°18′24″N 97°43′35″W / 30.30667°N 97.72639°W / 30.30667; -97.72639Coordinates: 30°18′24″N 97°43′35″W / 30.30667°N 97.72639°W / 30.30667; -97.72639
Area 2.6 acres (1.1 ha)
Built 1892 (1892)
Architect Elisabet Ney
Architectural style Classical revival
NRHP reference # 72001374
RTHL # 13829
TSAL # 624
Significant dates
Added to NRHP November 29, 1972
Designated RTHL 1962
Designated TSAL May 28, 1981

The Elisabet Ney Museum is a museum located in Austin, Texas, United States. It is housed in the former studio of sculptor Elisabet Ney and is dedicated to showcasing her life and works. There is a permanent collection of her portrait busts and personal memorabilia on display.

History

Formosa, as Ney called the studio, was completed in 1893 and enlarged in 1902. It was the earliest art studio built in Texas. After she died in 1907, Ella and Joseph B. Dibrell purchased the building to preserve it as an art center in memory of her.[1] The City of Austin assumed ownership of it in 1941 and it is managed through the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. In addition to being a local and state historic landmark, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 29, 1972.

From July 1980 to November 1982, the museum was closed for restoration and the installation of a climate-control system. It is currently undergoing another major renovation funded through a grant from the Save America's Treasures project and a 2006 voter-approved bond.[2]

Collection

Busts on display inside the museum

The museum houses a collection of originals and replicas of Ney's works, along with many of her personal belongings and tools. The more than fifty sculptures and medallions on display include her portraits of European figures such as King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Otto von Bismarck, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Arthur Schopenhauer, as well as her American-period sculptures of William Jennings Bryan, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Albert Sidney Johnston, and Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Elisabet Ney Museum". Handbook of Texas Online
  2. ↑ "Austin landmark to undergo major restoration". News 8 Austin. Aug. 17, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Elisabet Ney Museum". City of Austin. April 9, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
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