We had a very pleasant family visit to the Gibbes Museum of Art. The museum is beautiful, well organized, and easy to explore without feeling rushed. The collection was interesting, the atmosphere was calm, and the staff were welcoming and helpful. It was also a great indoor activity during rainy weather in Charleston. We would recommend it to families and anyone interested in art and local history.

We had some free time and put it to good use by visiting this small art museum. This takes less than two hours. Not worth a special trip to Charleston, but excellent to do between other scheduled events. The museum appropriately specializes in the history of art and art movements through the lens of Charleston's residents. There are furniture collections and paintings. I learned a lot. The accompanying texts are quite informative. Yes, the museum recognizes the enslaved experiences of people. You appreciate everything more by learning the whole story. There were three Impressionist paintings on loan to the museum, which seems too few to constitute a 'special exhibit', but it's better than none at all.

The Gibbes Museum of Art is well located along the so-called Museum Mile in Charleston. It's convenient to reach and is near several other worthy sites.The museum itself was founded in 1905. According to the sign outside, they will be expanding in 2027 into an adjacent building. The current structure has about 25 galleries on three floors.The museum concentrates on art from Charleston, which is both a strength and a weakness. On the one hand, it is local; on the other, you won't see a lot of name artists, the biggest notable exception being a Rodin Exhibit currently here on loan, Rodin having no connection whatsoever to Charleston. There is one very nice painting by American artist Childe Hassam (April - The Green Gown), painted in 1920, but also not in Charleston.The museum is almost two sets of collections, one of the wealthy of Charleston before the Civil War and the other from the less affluent after the war. Many of the pieces are engaging, and many have historical interest. Look for:-Rosy Moon off Charleston Harbor-The Green Fan-April (The Green Gown), Childe Hassam-Carolina Paroquet-Sudden Rain Over Nihon Bridge (a Japanese print)-Rain in Charleston-There is a large exhibit of colorful African combs-502 Lucerne Street (of the artist's grandmother)-Kona Kai-There is a large painting constructed with picket fences and painted with Spanish Moss-Look at the exquisite fine work on the marble statue Mending the Fishing Nets-Civil-war era paintings of battles in Charleston Harbor-A clay jar by Dave (it's a great subversive work in an innocent package)The descriptions, particularly for the newer art, are very heavy on the political correctness scale. For example, one description somehow found a need to describe the work of at least one female artist (Anna Heyward Taylor) by describing her, apropos of nothing, as having come from a life privilege. Roughly half the descriptions make some reference to slavery and/or race. We can all agree that slavery was evil and that Charleston sadly played an outsized role throughout that period, but I'd like to think that the city had and has something other than that to offer in its art. Hopefully, they have gotten this out of their system before they expand next year.Having said that, this is a worthwhile collection and a nice way to spend an hour or two.

Not to be missed! If you love art, this museum is a must see. The local history intertwined with the modern, the space is beautiful, it is easy to see it all in a few hours. I would add the collection of pieces are unforgettable, and the special exhibitions well curated.

Lovely little museum with very well curated collection of art related to Charleston history. The building itself is beautiful. Also had a Rodin exhibit on loan from the Cantor Foundation. Enough to keep you busy for about two hours. Perfect for a rainy morning.