The Collection

With a growing collection of 10,450 objects representing a variety of cultures and spanning centuries of art, the Palmer Museum collection is the largest between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and is the leading cultural resource of the region.

Explore the Collection

George B. Luks (American, 1867–1933), Thompson and Bleecker Streets, c. 1905

American

American paintings, sculpture, and works on paper from the colonial period to 1980
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Hat, mukuba wa maseza, Lega people, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 20th century,

African

Ceremonial, ritual, and utilitarian objects representing diverse cultures throughout the continent of Africa
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Artist unknown, Andean, Wari culture, Vessel in the Form of a Standing Jaguar, c. 700–1100 C.E., earthenware, 10-1/4 x 10-1/4 inches. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Kehl Markley, 75.26

Ancient Americas

Objects from Andean and other Indigenous American cultures dating from before European contact
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Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760–1849), Seven-Mile Beach in Sagami Province, c. 1830, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei) published by Nishimuraya Yohachi , c.1830–33, woodblock print, 10 x 14-3/4 inches.Gift of Dr. William E. Harkins, 79.24

Asian

Ceramics, sculpture, and works on paper from China, Korea, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia from the 3rd century BCE to the 20th century CE
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Eleanor Antin (American, b. 1935), Going Home, from Roman Allegories (detail), 2004, chromogenic print, 48-1/2 x 102-3/4 x 2 inches. Palmer Museum of Art, Purchased with funds provided by the Donald W. Hamer Endowment for Art Acquisitions and Exhibitions, 2006.29. © Eleanor Antin

Contemporary

Paintings, sculpture, photography, and works on paper created since 1980
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Giovanni Baglione (Italian, c. 1566–1643), Saint Sebastian Healed by an Angel, c. 1601-03, oil on canvas, 36-1/2 x 29-1/2 inches. Gift of Mary Jane Harris in loving memory of Morton B. Harris, 2008.56

European

Paintings, sculpture, and works on paper from the Renaissance to the 20th century
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Bente Hansen, Large Slab-Built Vase, n.d., 16-1/4 x 20-7/8 x 7-7/8 inches. Given in Memory of Barbara Robison Davis by her friends, 81.26

Studio Ceramics

20th- and 21st-century ceramics from England, Denmark, Japan, and the United States
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Mary Van Cline (American, b. 1954), Torso with Gold Leaves, 2004, pâte de verre with gold leaf, 13 x 17 x 6 inches. Palmer Museum of Art, Gift of Bette and Arnold Hoffman, 2016.115. © Mary Van Cline

Studio Glass

Late 20th- and 21st-century art glass from the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia
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Collections Database

More than 7,000 objects from the Palmer’s permanent collection are searchable via the Penn State Library database.

Find images, information, and descriptions for many objects in the Palmer Museum’s digital collections database here.

A visitor examining an artwork in the Hull Gallery

Rights and Reproductions

Photography and Image Requests

Reproductions of works in Penn State’s Palmer Museum of Art collections may be purchased for scholarly, commercial, or personal uses.

  1. Scholarly Use – Includes, but is not limited to publications by libraries, museums, and non-profit organizations, public-television broadcasts, and other items made available to a relatively limited audience.
  2. Commercial Use – Includes, but is not limited to, for-profit publications such as books, motion pictures, commercial television, large-circulation or mass-market magazines, advertisements, calendars, posters, museum reproductions, postcards, note cards, or other items made available for sale to a relatively wide audience.
  3. Personal Use – Includes, but is not limited to, study, educational, or research purposes only and may not be published or reproduced.

Requesting an Image

  1. If you require a high-quality TIFF file for publication of a work of art in the collection, please contact the registrar at bxb35@psu.edu.
  2. If you wish to purchase a reproduction for home display, The Palmer Museum uses Rudinec & Associates to offer archival reproductions of art from the collection. Click here to visit their website for more information.

Copyright

Please note that, in many cases, Penn State’s Palmer Museum of Art owns only the physical object and does not assume responsibility for intellectual property, including copyright, or any other legal issues involved in the publication and reproduction of items in its collection. The copyright for objects in the museum’s collection is often retained by the artist or the artist’s estate. The responsibility for determining whether a particular work is under copyright and identifying and securing permission from all copyright holders rests with the applicant. The Palmer Museum of Art and Penn State assume no responsibility for any royalties or fees claimed by the artist, or on his or her behalf, or by any other copyright holder.