Palm Springs Art Museum Guide: Art, light, space welcome tourists to world class galleries
- Cookie & Keller
- Feb 28, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 6
Passion for art, deep pockets fund treasure of a museum in downtown Palm Springs (It's about location, location, location)
STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER
"The Carpe Diem Kids"
Editor's Note: This piece was updated and verified in July of 2026
HOLLYWOOD ICONS, civic leaders, artists and art aficionados have made Palm Springs Art Museum a treasure, beloved by the diverse community and visitors alike.
The building itself -- 150,000 square feet -- is an innovative, example of the midcentury modern architecture which distinguishes this remarkable desert town.
Its striking, light-loving design is typical of that style popularized from the 1930s through the 1960s.
SKILLED DOCENTS have done their homework and offer regular tours, volunteering time and knowledge to the beloved building.
It includes a delightful bistro, two outdoor sculpture garden patios, a lovely small theater -- the Annenberg, named after patrons -- and an impressive array of changing exhibits. This varied, eye-catching contemporary collection is at the heart of the museum’s mission.
Palm Springs Art Museum Guide highlights
It contains an artful array of more than 3,000 sculptures, paintings and prints, 2,000 fine art photographs, and another 40,000 negatives, contact sheets and photo-based objects. Significant gifts came from philanthropist oilman Ted Weiner, who kept a home in Palm Springs and was both a generous patron and sharp-eyed collector. He appreciated the work of renowned sculptor Henry Moore, and their friendship resulted in "Reclining Figure" and several other Moore acquisitions which helped put the museum on the international museum radar.
Spending a couple hours is minimum for a Palm Springs Art Museum guide. Many visitors spend considerably more time, stopping at the cafe for lunch or a coffee and pastry. Gabriel Woo is chef at Livs, which offers breakfast, lunch, and Thursday night dinner, featuring items such as tasty flatbreads, salads and sandwiches.
Given Palm Springs' international reputation as an epicenter of mid-century modernism, art from this period forms the foundation of the museum’s collection.
AMONG OTHER WELL known artists represented are Alexander Calder, Claire Falkenstein, Helen Frankenthaler, Barbara Hepworth, Marina Abramović, Louise Bourgeois, John Chamberlain, Antony Gormley, Duane Hanson, Mona Hatoum, Anish Kapoor, Anselm Keifer, Sarah Sze, Dale Chilhully and Stanley Whitney. California artists play a significant part in the dynamic collection of contemporary art, but internationally known European, Asian and South American artists are represented, too.
SKILLED DOCENTS do their homework to offer interesting, volunteering as they share the delights of the beautiful building. The space includes a lovely small theater, the Annenberg, named after patrons, and an impressive array of changing exhibits including one by native American artist Gerald Clarke, whose wit, empathy and humor address injustice in biting ways.
The impressive modern and contemporary collection is at the heart of the museum’s mission. It contains a stunning array of more than 3,000 sculptures, paintings and prints, 2,000 fine art photographs, and another 40,000 negatives, contact sheets and photo-based objects.
The mountains that frame the town bracket the building, too, offering patrons an eye-catching approach. It's a fitting preview for what's inside.
THE TREASURE trove of paintings, sculptures and works on paper form a who's who of the modernist movement and the development of contemporary art.
Artists experiment with form and materials, and thoughtful curation moves the viewer easily along through three floors of exhibitions.
The museum planned a move from its outgrown smaller space in 1974 when renowned architect E. Stewart Williams agreed to design the building, emerging from partial retirement to do so.
Originally the Palm Springs Desert Museum, it has grown from its initial location 1938 at La Plaza Arcade on Palm Canyon Drive near downtown Palm Springs. In 1958, it moved to a larger building but soon outgrew that as well. The present location is its third. Ttwo other buildings are under the museum umbrella. Free admission Thursday from 4-8 p.m., and every second Sunday. Regular hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Wednesdays.
NEXT UP: The world renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival introduces its season this week with a new artistic director and a slate of plays to wow the veteran theater goer or the novice. Read about this extraordinary theater celebrating its landmark 85th season in Ashland, Oregon, where three venues beckon and the wealth of plays awaits. Remember to explore, learn and live and catch us each Friday for a novel look at the arts, nature, travel, cruising, family and more.
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