Grohmann Museum

Happy Halloween!

The Grohmann Museum has countless autumnal and spooky works of art, depicting everything from fall harvests to primitive medical care. Our rooftop sculpture garden is beautiful in the fall; make sure to come visit us as part of your Halloween celebrations today!

We are a finalist for Best of Milwaukee 2024! Vote for the Grohmann Museum in the Art Museum category starting today through November 28. Vote here: https://bom24.shepherdexpress.com/arts-and-entertainment/art-museum

This German painting from the mid-19th century depicts a woman and a cat, sharing each other's company as the woman winds yarn into skeins. The cat may be playing with some loose yarn on the floor.

"The Contented Ones (Die Zufriedenen)," c.1855, Karl von Enhuber

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather on our rooftop sculpture garden! While the Museum is open year-round, our garden will close for the season in winter. Plan your visit today!

Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, and free for children 12 and under
Hours: 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, Saturday 12-6pm, and Sunday 1-4pm

Meet our latest acquisition, MSOE’s iron dragon!

This ironwork dragon is a playful combination of a more modern medium—wrought iron—with an ancient fantastical subject. This grotesque was forged in Germany in the 19th century. It likely adorned a doorway—maybe the entrance to an important building or perhaps above the door to a tavern. In the 1920s, J. G. Braun Company, an ornamental metalworking company founded by a German immigrant, purchased the dragon and brought it over to the states. When J. G. Braun was acquired by R&B Wagner, Inc. decades later, the iron dragon made its way to Brown Deer, Wisconsin, where it was mounted in the entryway to Wagner headquarters. Bob Wagner, CEO of Wagner and MSOE Regent, generously gifted the iron dragon to the Grohmann Museum. We have installed it on Milwaukee’s historic German-English Academy, now home to Direct Supply's Innovation and Technology Center. With this dragon once again adorning a German-style building, we hope to display the dragon in a setting similar to its original context.

We'd also like to give a special thanks for Holton Brothers Inc. for mounting and installing the dragon!

Are you ready for Halloween? Here are some costume ideas inspired by our collection!

A painting within a painting? That's right!
Carl Spitzweg references his iconic work, "The Bookworm," as a print hanging in the stall of a bookseller. Maybe the bookseller, who is nose-deep in a book himself, sees the Bookworm as a kindred spirit.

See both "The Antiquarian (Bookseller)" and "The Bookworm" at the Grohmann Museum, in the largest collection of paintings by Spitzweg outside of his homeland of Germany!

"The Antiquarian (Bookseller)," c. 1856, Carl Spitzweg

Join us tonight at 7:00pm for a Gallery Talk with Chris Burger! We'll be discussing our special exhibition "Gil Reid and Friends: Working on the Railroad."

A railroader and rail executive for 39 years, Chris is perhaps best known locally for managing the Chicago & North Western’s Wisconsin Division, where he was the moving force behind the railroad’s “Good Will Ambassador” steam program in the 1980s. Over the course of his career, Chris both collected Reid’s work and commissioned numerous pieces for his annual Christmas cards.

Painting featured: "Ten-Wheeler Tradition (Butler 400)," 1985, Gil Reid

Join us tomorrow night for Gallery Night! We'll be exploring our latest special exhibition of "Gil Reid and Friends: Working on the Railroad."
There will be a special gallery talk with Chris Burger at 7pm.

A railroader and rail executive for 39 years, Chris is perhaps best known locally for managing the Chicago & North Western’s Wisconsin Division, where he was the moving force behind the railroad’s “Good Will Ambassador” steam program in the 1980s. Over the course of his career, Chris both collected Reid’s work and commissioned numerous pieces for his annual Christmas cards.

Gil Reid and Friends is a must-see for any railfan! From initial sketches to printed product, the railroad art of this amazing watercolorist will be joined by other images of railroading from the museum’s collection by O. Winston Link, David Plowden and others, including Chris Burger himself.
Free admission Friday October 18th, from 5:00pm to 9:00pm.

On a rainy day like today, this poet has the right idea of staying cozy in bed and reading his books! Too bad he needs an umbrella to keep the roof from leaking water onto him.

German artist Carl Spitzweg incorporates his whimsical sense of humor as the commercially unsuccessful poet stuffs sheets of his poetry into the stove for fuel on cold days.

"The Poor Poet," 1837, Carl Spitzweg

We will celebrate the Gallery Night Opening of Gil Reid and Friends: Working on the Railroad with FREE admission 5-9pm this Friday. There will be a special gallery talk with Chris Burger at 7pm. A railroader and rail executive for 39 years, Chris is perhaps best known locally for managing the Chicago & North Western’s Wisconsin Division, where he was the moving force behind the railroad’s “Good Will Ambassador” steam program in the 1980s. Over the course of his career, Chris both collected Reid’s work and commissioned numerous pieces for his annual Christmas cards.

Gil Reid and Friends is a must-see for any railfan. From initial sketches to printed product, the railroad art of this amazing watercolorist will be joined by other images of railroading from the museum’s collection by O. Winston Link, David Plowden and others, including Chris Burger himself.

One week from today - Join us for the Gallery Night Opening of Gil Reid and Friends: Working on the Railroad! We will be open with free admission from 5-9pm on October 18. Chris Burger will give a gallery talk at 7pm.

Nominate Grohmann Museum for Shepherd Express' Best of Milwaukee 2024 and help us get to the next round! You can vote for us here: https://bom24.shepherdexpress.com/arts-and-entertainment/art-museum

Visit our rooftop in late summer or autumn and you might encounter monarch butterflies enjoying our butterfly bushes in the garden!

That’s a wrap on Lost Arts Festival 2024! We’d like to give a huge thank you to all of the artisans who shared their talents this year, and to everyone who came out to support the event.

The Grohmann Museum's annual Lost Arts Festival is tomorrow, October 5, 11a.m.-3p.m!

Celebrate the activities and ways of work captured in the paintings and bronzes in the museum’s permanent collection by watching live demonstrations of shoe carving, chair caning, book binding, stained glass art, and more. Local favorite Frogwater joins us for a roaming musical performance from 12-2 p.m. Throughout the galleries, artisans will share their expertise and demonstrate their techniques as the Grohmann Museum becomes a laboratory for the creation of Lost Arts.

This is a family-friendly event and hands-on activities will be provided!
Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors/students, and FREE for kids 12 and under

While it looks like this woman is spinning thread at her wheel, she is actually using it to wind linen thread onto a spool. She is careful to ensure the thread won't tangle, as she will take this spool to the market to sell to a weaver.
The Netherlands, where this woman is from, was known for its linen production. In fact, "Holland linen" refers to high quality white linen, like the head covering and fichu that this woman wears while at work.

"Dutch Spooling Woman," 1890, Rudolf Eichstaedt

Spinning is an ancient textile art in which fibers are drawn out and twisted together to form yarn. During Lost Arts, guests will be able to see and feel different plant and animal fibers, and learn how they are used to make yarn, tapestries, and other types of artwork.

We are excited to have two fiber artists joining us during the event! Carrie Kelly is a local spinner who will be demonstrating spinning wool on her 1870's wheel. Lindsey Schwenn makes large wall hangings from gathered plant material and fiber that she harvests, cleans, processes, dyes, and spins by hand. She enjoys creating unique blends of animal and plant fibers and then coloring and spinning them to suit a specific purpose.

See Carrie and Lindsey's work in action during Lost Arts Fest, tomorrow from 11am-3pm!

For many years we have had the pleasure of hosting local duo, Frogwater, at our Lost Arts Festival. They are back again this Saturday with a roaming musical performance that will carry through the galleries from 12-2pm. You won't want to miss it!

For more information on Lost Arts, visit our website: https://www.msoe.edu/grohmann-museum/exhibitions-events/

Local artists Helena Ehlke and Rita Burnap are keeping the painting techniques of the Old Masters alive today. These master painters will display their work and talk you through the process of going from a light underpainting to a finished oil painting during Lost Arts Festival. Join us to see an array of different artisans at work from 11am-3pm this Saturday!

This study for "Flax Barn in Laren" by German artist Max Liebermann offers a glimpse of factory manufacturing before mechanization. Women and children work in a large empty space at old-fashioned spinning wheels to produce linen thread at a commercial scale. Liebermann was criticized for depicting children at work--child labor was common in the 19th century, but was not to be referenced or commented on by artists.

Study for "Flax Barn in Laren," 1886, Max Liebermann

Lost Arts Festival is just a few days away! We are excited to have Cary Suneja of Teacup Bindery joining us. She is a hand bookbinder specializing in the restoration and rebinding of 18th and 19th century leather and cloth books. Additionally, she is a marble artist and makes the marble paper she uses in her workshop. Cary trained for three years at the Book Restoration Company to learn the craft and has owned her own bindery since 2006.

Watch Cary's art come to life during Lost Arts from 11am-3pm this Saturday.

This woman is weaving linen at a loom. The resulting cloth will be used by her household, maybe to make sheets for a bed or a tablecloth, which is where we get the term "linen closet" for the place where bed sheets are stored, or "table linens" for napkins, tablecloths, and other fabric at the dinner table.

"Linen Weaver at Her Loom," 1888, Albert Gustav Adolf Kiekebusch

The creation of diving helmets dates all the way back to 1820. Diving Equipment & Supply Company (DESCO) has been making commercial diving equipment here in Milwaukee since 1937. We're excited to have DESCO at our Lost Arts Festival this Saturday!

The owner, Christian Koellner, says his favorite thing about this business is the uniqueness of their products and the diverse customer base. Visit from 11am-3pm this Saturday to learn how diving gear is made!

Lost Arts Festival Artisan Spotlight: John Peine
You might recognize local architect John Peine from our annual LEGO event at the Museum, or from his work as a docent. Each year, he brings something new to our Lost Arts Festival, and we are excited to have him back this year with an extensive display of architectural models and antique souvenirs.

Check out his display at Lost Arts Festival, 10/5 from 11am-3pm.