biggs museum of american art

Nice small museum with a friendly staff . A tad boring though. A lot of old furniture on 2nd floor. My son joked saying he felt like we walked into an ikea. Visit if in the area. Free but certain area has a fee .

If you admire Americana (American colonial furniture) and American art, the Biggs has some beautiful collections. It's been recently remodeled and enlarged. There are always changing exhibits of American artists and a permanent collection of American silver and furniture. It's right off the Green in Dover, Delaware, and worth a visit. It's not very large, so it's easy to do it in part of a day. You can see the Green, The Air Mobility Command Museum (a must for aircraft buffs) and have plenty of time left over to head over to Annapolis later in the day.

The original plan for my long daytrip to Dover from Elkton, MD was to visit the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Smyrna and then go to Dover to tour the Air Mobility Command Museum, The Green, and the Old State House with a stop at the First State Heritage Park Welcome Center. At the center, I learned about this art museum which is adjacent to The Green and the Old State House, so the art museum got added to the itinerary.What a find this art museum turned out to be! There were at least two outstanding pieces in each gallery. The museum is open Tuesday–Saturday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM and Sunday 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM. Admission is free. There is a small parking lot out front. Unfortunately, photography is not permitted. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. There is a small gift shop near the main desk. The museum was founded by Sewell C. Biggs (1914 - 2003), who was a lawyer with a degree in architecture. He bought and restored 18th-century farmhouses in New Castle and Kent Counties in Delaware. He was a serious collector of fine art and decorative arts for the home that included clocks, furniture, china, silver service, paintings, and sculpture. Most of his collection represents 18th-century and 19th-century Delaware and Philadelphia. He had very fine taste. He established this museum in 1998. As a historian, I am always interested in everything connected to various periods of history, going beyond just events on certain dates. I like learning about the lives of historical figures, how they lived, their homes and possessions, style of dress, tastes, etc. So, for me, this museum was a place to explore these aspects of life in this region in several different eras. I found it very interesting and took extensive notes as I went along from gallery to gallery. Everything in the museum from 1720 on is in excellent condition. Some of the furniture is approaching the 300-year mark and looks nearly brand new. The collection takes up several galleries on the three floors of the museum. Someone with only a limited interest in this type of museum can get through here in an hour. Someone with a serious interest could spend at least two or three hours here. Mr. Biggs created the series of galleries organized on a timeline which was modeled after the Metropolitan Museum.On the first floor:Gallery 2 covers the Early Baroque Period circa. 1680–1720’s. The pieces I liked best in this gallery were the ore coins, a Wainscot chair, and a strong box.Gallery 8 is for the American Baroque Period circa 1720 - 1750’s. That period had a lot of Queen Anne style. The two pieces I liked here were the walnut desk on frame (circa. 1735) from Philadelphia, a cherry highboy, and a tall clock with a stepped top and finials. The clock was my favorite piece in this gallery. Gallery 9 holds the American Rococo Period circa 1750’s–1785. This includes Chippendale styles circa 1718–1779. This gallery held several treasures:● A mahogany Rococo armchair with shell designs and carved piercings on the back support. It’s believed that this chair was made in Dover. ● A magnificent mahogany tall case clock made in Wilmington between 1780 and 1790. It has full scrolls and three intricately carved, matching finials. It was a real standout. ● A covered sugar box made by silversmith Bancroft Woodcock of Wilmington circa 1760.● A tall coffeepot made by silversmith Joseph Warner circa 1770-1790. Gallery 11 & part of Gallery 12 focus on the furniture made by The Janviers of Delaware between 1770 and the 1820’s. They made some of the region’s most fashionable Rococo and Federal furniture of the last quarter of the 1700’s. The piece here that drew my attention was the tall case clock with the cabinet of mahogany, yellow pine, and tulip poplar made by Thomas Janvier circa 1794-1796. It featured scalloped carving on the waist door and base, plus full scrolls and a center finial on top. The carving on the door set made this piece rather distinctive. Parts of Gallery 12 & Gallery 14 contain the American Federal Period circa 1785–1815. The main points of interest here for me were:● An armchair and matching side chairs with slim tapered legs and Sheraton-style fluting on the front legs.● A superb tea set with a hot water urn, teapots, waste bowl, and a covered sugar box. Parts of Gallery 12 & Gallery 14 also contain the American Empire Period circa. 1810–1835. I was most interested in:● A pianoforte (1830) by Loud & Brothers of from Philadelphia. It was made of mahogany, rosewood, maple, and white pine. Such an item was an indication of the owning family’s wealth and America’s financial growth independent of England after the War of 1812. ● A silver covered tureen & tray by Joseph Lownes circa 1810 which had intricate engraving and a detailed grip on the cover. ● An oil painting “Still Life with Broken Watermelon” (1825) by James Peale. Gallery 13 is dedicated to Delaware Folk Art circa 1790–1900. It had a nice Windsor chair and a striking corner cupboard made of pine and tulip poplar with geometric carvings crafted by Charles Ralph. Gallery 16 was devoted to the Greek Revival Period circa 1815–1850. The main interest for me here was a pair of mahogany card tables on wheels dated circa 1810-1820. The wheels were a practical addition to the tables. Gallery 15 & Gallery 17 held items from the Westward Expansion Period circa 1840–1860. After the explorations of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, there was great interest in the open wilderness of the west so landscape paintings were very much in vogue. Having seen a lot of Hudson River School art over the years, I immediately recognized “Summer Sunset” (oil - circa 1844-1846) and “Sunset Study” as unmistakably the work of Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School. Other paintings of interest were:● “Niagara” (oil -1866) by James Hamilton. The tremendous power of waterfalls comes through in the painting. The greenish tint to the water is interesting. ● “Niagara Falls” (oil - 1869) Albert Bierstadt, another Hudson River Schools artist. This painting is very representative of what Bierstadt is about. On the third floor:Galley 19 had Genre and History Paintings circa 1840–1890. Nothing here drew my attention. Part of Gallery 20 & Gallery 21 was devoted to the American Gilded Age circa 1860–1900 and American Impressionism circa 1880–1910. I admired two beautiful paintings here: ● “Summer Girl” (oil - circa 1899) by Robert Reid of a Gibson sitting sideways on a porch railing in a slightly saucy pose with her right hand on her hip.● “Fourth of July” (oil - 1913) was made up of three waterfront scenes with people by Francis Mora.Gallery 22 & Gallery 23 held the Period of American Illustration circa 1880–1930. Three works commanded attention:● “Illustration for the Title Page of The Last of the Mohicans” (oil - 1919) by Newell Convers Wyeth was of a fort---most likely Fort William Henry---on a hill with a tepee and Native Americans on the water and on the shore below. ● “Scouts” (oil - 1930) by Edward Grant shows two scouts with rifles in western dress. To me, this painting shows N.C. Wyeth’s influence on this contemporary and friend in the subject of western characters and the style. This was a gift from Alex & Alicia Grant. It’s one of the few items in the museum not collected by Mr. Biggs. ● “Lafitte the Pirate” (oil - 1911) by Frank Schoonover, an N.C. Wyeth student and Andrew Wyeth contemporary. The painting shows Lafitte in a narrow rowboat apparently hiding out in a wetlands area near the ocean.Gallery 23 held the Period of the American Art Colonies circa 1900–1940. There were two paintings here that held my attention for several minutes:● “Far View, The Old Beach” (oil - pre-1936) by Ethel Leach, Dean of Delaware Painters looked almost like delicate watercolor with all the beiges and light greens of the beach and grasses with a lighthouse in the far distance.● “Untitled / Vanishing Point” (oil - undated) by Edward Grant shows a deserted two-story beach house. It resembles an N.C. Wyeth or Andrew Wyeth landscape painting especially since the simple setting projects an atmosphere of solitude. It’s on loan from Alex & Alicia Grant.Gallery 23 & Gallery 24 held the Period of American Modernism circa 1900–1970. One Impressionistic painting all but jumped off the wall at me. Being from New England, I’m well familiar with the work of Childe Hassam so I identified “The Granite Rock, Appledore” (oil - 1908) as his work before looking at the marker. And, the landscape looked familiar. It was. It was from my area. Appledore Island is one of the Isles of Shoals that lie near Kittery in Maine waters which I’ve sailed past many times leaving Portsmouth Harbor. Hassam was a frequent guest of writer Celia Thaxter, who lived on Appledore Island. Scattered throughout Galleries 1, 4, 5, and 25, plus the stairwell, one will find the Period of Contemporary Art, beginning circa 1970. There was one piece here that I really liked. It was “Viking Goblet” (1970 - blown glass) Jan Peter Zandhuis. It’s an impressive piece. It’s a work that shows his mastery over several glass techniques. His work is also in the Corning Museum of Glass. This museum is wheelchair accessible. The elevator goes to all levels. I highly recommend visiting this museum. It’s filled with treasures from the region. If you found this review helpful, kindly click YES below.

A draw for the whole family with changing art exhibitions, quality furnishings from colonial and post-colonial era, special events for all ages, including hands-on sessions for young artists to flex their creative muscles.

The American treasures at the Biggs - fine historic furniture & silver, surrounded by choice 19th & 20th century art with several exceptionally lovely selections from the Hudson River School - exemplify the charm of small manageable regional museums. Although there is no audio guide, descriptions are informative & a small gift shop offers interesting literature & gifts.

Wonderful collection of American Art in a charming building in Downtown Dover near all the heritage sights in the state capital.

Lots of furniture, silver and great paintings...some by American masters...all from the region! Also had sections of modern art by current artists which was very interesting. Very helpful staff.

If you like art but you want to visit a small museum and not a metropolis like the Met in New York City, the Biggs Museum is a good stop. Expect to spend about 1 hour if you take your time looking through the artwork. Also, the museum is free (or was when I visited).

Sewell Biggs collected American art and left his collection to the people of Delaware. His collection is eclectic but of very high quality. The museum covers three floors with special exhibits on the first floor. Depending on your pace you can cover the whole museum in an hour to 90 minutes. The museum is free and there is a small parking lot for visitors.

First, admission is free. Second, the staff was enthusiastic about the art. Third, the art is really top-notch. We got there with only 30 minutes before they closed, but my daughter (11) loves art so she pestered me to go in. So glad we did! The lady at the front counter asked us lots of questions and then took us on a brief tour of the museum. We loved the old furniture and my daughter especially loved the grandfather clocks. They did have a children's activity room, but we didn't have time to really enjoy it. Great afternoon.

I was delighted by my recent visit to the Biggs and would encourage anyone who has as little as an hour to pop over and browse the galleries. Any visitor with a interest in history or nature from Delaware, Maryland or Pennsylvania would enjoy the Bayard Berndt exhibit going on now. The exhibit has great landscape paintings from those areas and it was fun to recognize some of the scenes & see how they have changed since the 1930s-60s. There are also nice exhibits of antique furniture and impressionist paintings.

Admission is free to this enjoyable museum full of artistic treasures, which include paintings, furniture, and silver. Not a very large museum, but worth a visit.

I visited this museum on a rainy day on my visit to Dover. I was happy to see that the museum opened at 9:00 AM as it gave me the opportunity to have a pleasant experience viewing some beautiful American art pieces while waiting for the Legislative Hall to open. I had a pleasant, warm welcome by the museum staff who gave me an overview of the layout of the museum and a bit of history about the art work. Although the museum is quite small in comparison to my local art museum in Denver, I felt it was well worth my time to see it. There were furnishings dating from the late 1600s to 1900 and paintings from 1730 to early 20th century. Beautiful and interesting furnishings and wonderful paintings. I thoroughly enjoyed the special exhibit: Refining the Region: The Landscapes of Bayard T. Berndt. No admission fee but donations are accepted.

Eleven of us took a guided tour of the Museum, threat was great as well as the furniture of different periods. This tour could have been better if the guide could have given us more insight to the artists rendition of what he was telling us through his art, the place was very clean and in good condition. If you are in Dover and have time you should visit the museum.

I love coming to this museum! Truly, the Biggs is my favorite place to spend an evening. I particularly appreciate the way modern pieces by Delaware artists are displayed alongside older pieces by Delaware artists. Very well done! I also love the new renovations and pieces.