The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

   The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art arose from the instincts and ambitions of two private individuals who shared a dream of creating a public art museum for Kansas City and the surrounding region.

   William Rockhill Nelson, founder of The Kansas City Star, believed that art and culture were essential for a truly civilized city.

   When he died in 1915, much of his estate was used to establish the William Rockhill Nelson Trust for the purchase of art.

   Kansas City schoolteacher Mary McAfee Atkins had similar aspirations. She donated approximately one-third of her million-dollar estate to the city to purchase land for a public art museum. The Nelson estate was combined with Mary Atkins's legacy to build an art museum for the people of Kansas City. The William Rockhill Nelson Art Gallery and the Mary Atkins

   Museum of Fine Arts opened to the public on December 11, 1933. On June 9, 2007, Nelson-Atkins unveiled the Bloch Building, an addition designed by Steven Holl that expanded the gallery and storage space for the growing collection.

   Today, Nelson-Atkins maintains a collection of over 35,000 works of art and welcomes 500,000 visitors annually.