Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art

"This charming little museum in a modern building has a few different missions. Part of the collection is dedicated to artworks that focus on Colorado and the Rockies, or those done by Colorado artists. Another focus is the decorative arts—the international collection spans everything from furniture to glassware and ceramics to lamps, radios, and telephones. The third, and most unusual focus, is on a single artist, Vance Kirkland (1904-1981). Kirkland moved to Denver from Ohio when he was 25 and remained in the Centennial State for the rest of his life. Kirkland went though five stylistic phases in his painting: Designed Realism, Surrealism, Hard Edge Abstraction, Abstract Expressionism, and the Dot Paintings, and works from all the periods are represented. One gallery holds a replica of Kirkland’s studio—complete with the straps he used to suspend himself to reach the center of his paintings."

"Unlike other museums in Denver, the Kirkland is organized salon-style, displaying everything from Andy Warhol paintings to chairs designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The international decorative art collection spans every major design period since 1870, but the museum is at its best displaying the work of Colorado’s most distinguished painter: Vance Kirkland. The museum moved Kirkland’s original three-room studio eight blocks to its new location, and visitors can tour the space that the artist worked on his famous abstract and dot paintings. It’s now a stone’s throw from the Denver Art Museum , making it easy to visit both in a day." - Nicholas DeRenzo, Megan Barber

"Unlike other museums in Denver, the Kirkland is organized salon-style, displaying everything from Andy Warhol paintings to chairs designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The international decorative art collection spans every major design period since 1870, but the museum is at its best displaying the work of Colorado’s most distinguished painter: Vance Kirkland. The museum moved Kirkland’s original three-room studio eight blocks to its new location, and visitors can tour the space that the artist worked on his famous abstract and dot paintings. It’s now a stone’s throw from the Denver Art Museum , making it easy to visit both in a day." - Megan Barber