COLUMBIA, SC.- The Columbia Museum of Art announces the opening of its newly imagined collection galleries, the final phase of a legacy renovation project a year in the making. Capping off the museum’s milestone 75th anniversary year, this transformational initiative culminates on January 16, 2026, with the CMA Gala, a spectacular celebration unveiling the new CMA collection galleries.

“Over the past 75 years, the CMA collection has grown in exciting and dynamic ways,” says Senior Curator Michael Neumeister. “We are delighted to reconnect with our community by freshly presenting art in our world-class galleries, with new perspectives and experiences.”

The museum’s legacy project began as a matter of routine maintenance. Its previous gallery lighting system, installed in 1998 when the CMA first opened its doors on Main Street, had grown obsolete. To best preserve and showcase the art on view, the CMA embarked on a bold journey to completely overhaul its gallery lighting — closing all galleries last January and carefully storing all art for safety.

First-floor galleries reopened in May, and visitors were welcomed into refreshed spaces featuring cutting-edge LED lighting, sleek new ceilings, and fortified walls.

When all 20 second-floor galleries reopen in January, visitors can enjoy a whole new installation of the collection. The museum has taken this opportunity to completely rethink how its collection is presented, from gallery layouts and featured works to interpretive storytelling and visitor experience.

The CMA collects art across four distinct areas: American, Asian, European, and modern and contemporary art. The collection galleries hold spaces dedicated to each, with inspired moments that connect historical art with the artists of today. Highlights include galleries showcasing art of the Italian Renaissance drawn from the CMA’s extensive Kress Collection, as well as an Asian gallery anchored by Chinese art from the Tang dynasty generously gifted by the late Dr. Robert Y. Turner.

Other galleries are organized around themes, such as landscape, still life, and the relationship between art and architecture. Still others offer work from a single artist with strong ties to South Carolina, such as the career-spanning prints of Jasper Johns, the Afrofuturistic sculpture of Winston Wingo, and the photography of Richard Samuel Roberts. Additional notables include a gallery hung in the historical Salon style and another devoted to the rise of Modernism in American sculpture.

In celebration of the CMA’s 75th anniversary, the museum received a major gift from the Joseph Bruce Collection of Georgian Porcelain, one of the most comprehensive private holdings of New Hall porcelain in the United States. Selections from this gift will anchor a new Georgian gallery, the museum’s first period-specific gallery, outfitted with period-correct wallpaper and other objects dating to Georgian England, offering visitors an immersive late 18th- and early 19th-century experience.

In addition to these transformative gifts, the CMA has acquired several other artworks in celebration of its anniversary, including He Hears Echoes (2024), a monumental mixed-media triptych from Los Angeles-based artist Mario Joyce in which the artist draws on ancestral histories and memory in an exploration of identity. Other significant recent acquisitions include works by Audrey Flack, Roberto Lugo, and Marguerite Zorach.

The collection galleries will also feature a number of artworks on long-term loan, offering deeper context for the museum’s holdings while acknowledging the collection’s historical gaps. These loans come from collections around the country, including the National Academy of Design in New York. Important modern and contemporary artworks lent by the National Academy are generously supported by Art Bridges Partner Loan Network.

In addition to new works, seasoned visitors can also find old favorites on view, including Claude Monet’s The Seine at Giverny (1897) and Botticelli’s The Nativity (c. 1473–1475).

The refreshed collection galleries also include newly conserved works, including paintings by Sam Gilliam, Teiji Takai, and Benjamin Wilson.

After the grand unveiling at the 75th Anniversary Gala, the museum is offering a dynamic array of programs centered on the CMA Collection, including spotlight tours, wellness programs, and concerts.

“As the cultural heartbeat of South Carolina, the Columbia Museum of Art continues to inspire creativity and connection across our community and throughout the state,” says Executive Director Della Watkins. “Now, the CMA embarks on a thrilling new chapter with the debut of its reimagined collection galleries — an experience not to be missed, offering audiences bold new ways to see, feel, and engage with the power of art. Through this transformation, the museum reaffirms its place as a true treasure, an East Coast destination where art sparks connection, curiosity, and joy.”