Reviews of Chazen Museum of Art (Museum)

Moon-woo Nam

A quiet cool place.

Kate Poppe

A great museum for adults and kids. Our family loves Chazen! It's small enough to walk through in a few hours (with elementary aged kids) but big enough to notice new things each time. A must-see in Madison.

Carol Larsen

Wow! So modern. Bldg is beautiful and the shows interesting and sometimes offbeat.

Glenn Kozicki

Loved the Monroe pic and so many other of the art work. The plastic exhibit was amazing.

Aaron Lindloff

Confusing, disturbing, and inaccessible, yes. But also surprising, thought-provoking, impressive, and even endearing. So eclectic that there promises to be more than just something for everyone. Must see the Sanford Bigger gunshot exhibit.

Jacob Kelly

Amazing art. And it's always free, can't beat that. Always love going to the rotating exibitions.

Tyler Wrage

Lots of cool art, gorgeous and clean facilities. Completely free, definitely check it out! Different styles of art throughout, something for everyone to enjoy.

Pat Laubach

Incredible gem in our community!

June Grogan

There were a lot of different art to see, something for everyone. Even the kids enjoyed themselves!

Madeline Field

This museum blew me away! I had no expectations going in and was floored by how much variety they have and how large it is. I thought I was nearly done with my visit and then discovered an entire the other half I hadn't explored yet! I was very impressed with their current exhibitions but also enjoyed their permanent collection as well. They have quite a few Calders including more sketches and paintings than I have ever seen elsewhere. They have a great collection of local and Midwest art as well as collections from all over the world. I was particularly impressed with their African collection and shocked to see 5th century mosaics from Syria. It was great to see a Kara Walker on display as well. All this and more for free!

Matt Hargrove

It's free, it's huge, and the art is really well curated. We even bumped into a tour a photographer was giving about his exhibit. It was so interesting! If you haven't been recently, make the trip. But give yourself a few hours to explore.

Tongcheng Li

Nice museum with great exhibitions

Peter Gruett

You can count on really thoughtful curatorial decisions on every visit to the Chazen, drawing on an excellent permanent collection and great traveling exhibitions. I always find something new and fascinating among old favorites.

Rose Gear

I am consistently delighted by this museum in every possible way. The quality of the permanent collection is outstanding and varied, the rotating guest exhibits are always fascinating, the facilities are gorgeous, the staff are friendly. Compared to similar art museums in other much larger cities, the Chazen is actually BETTER, and the best part is it's FREE.

James Thorne

I'm not particularly an arty type but I really enjoyed my visit here. So much so that I came back less than a week later for another visit. The collections are varied and engaging. The temporary exhibition by artists with leaning difficulties was particularly good.

Simon Greene

Beautiful museum, great way to spend a few hours

Claudia Romero

First of all, this is a free museum, so that's something to cheer about! The Chazen has a stunning permanent collection and a captivating schedule of temporary exhibits. I highly recommend checking out this art museum if you're into learning about the creators of the world. :)

Moriah Z

Very cool museum that is free. Staff is friendly and eager to help. Will be coming back soon.

Andrew Smeby

Fantastic Collections, and a great space to view then in

Jen B

Very cool museum and so much to see, I need to go back!

Marian Hart

Collection has impressive artists, more than I expected from a smaller city. Everything from Whorhol, Stella, Grant Wood, to good collection of Dutch and Flemish. Don't miss the art museum on State Street.

Kristi Nefe

Excellent museum! No charge, very big. Small detail, but there is a coat room with lockers where you can put your things, loved that! The day was cold and wet, nobody wants to walk around with a giant wet winter jacket. Wish Milwaukee would follow the example!

Nevin Cain

A great collection. Worth a stop.

Matt No

Love this place and you can't beat the price. It is free and there is no way you will see it all in one day. Convenient parking for being downtown and a great place to go!

Brittney Slack

Love love love loveeeeee this place.

Lily Zea

Awesome!!! Great place to go! Make sure to take small peeps too!

Theresa

We visit at least once a year when we visit Madison. Recently we went specifically to see the Wantanabe exhibit and thoroughly enjoyed it. The explanations are helpful and informative, but not excessively long. Entrance desk staff were friendly, and professional, pointing out current exhibits and, as we were leaving, they recommended upcoming exhibits. I wish the museum would show suggestions for parking to their website. We are from out of town, and whenever we visit a building on campus, it's unclear which lots are public lots and which are for students and staff. Overall, I definitely recommend a visit to the Chazen.

Arianna Gharbi

Love all the fun art

Ryan Gilbert

A wonderful museum for a city the size of Madison. Well run, clean, and new exhibits. Might not be the best for young children though. Parking can be difficult so be prepared to cross a busy street to get here. Multi level but they do have elevators. Staff was well informed on the art work on display.

BENJAMIN WRIGHT

A beautiful interior with an impressive variety of art.

Jeff Shaw

Great and free museum. Traveling exhibits are typically excellent too.

William Wells

Very nice museum! Must see and it's free no less.

Rita Rhodes

Beautiful space, nice selection of art. And free admission is always great!

Arika Kaosa

Nice museum with a wide variety of art from different time periods. Free admission.

Solveig Alda Halldorsdottir

Good place to walk through. Friendly staff and it's free!

Chris Martin

Vast amount of art to look at.

Jacob Kocina

An interesting look into the artistic expression of multiple cultures and time periods.

Elizabeth Bush

Fantasic museum on the UW campus.

David Atkins

Great art & 12hr day 7 days a week

Janie Starzewski

So glad we stopped in! Was blown away by the Arctic photography exhibit. Enjoyed walking through the rest of the museum, too. Good place for kids to get exposure to art, as well.

Mallory Kling

Insanely huge and well-maintained museum for being free. Please support!

godanlove pearson

Security guard needed a little bit of a chill pill, but the art work was ausome.

Marty Amberg

Very nice museum.

Jannai Johnson

I definitely recommend going and dedicating an entire day to this incredible art museum.

Conner Nelson

It had good service and we did the self guided tour

Megan Brooks

Always love coming here. I wish there were more rotating collections though. Beautiful building.

Ben Kollasch

Great selection of art from many styles. Professional staff and a great variety in their gift shop.

Giselbert Parkhurst

The Chazen Museum of Art is an underappreciated cultural venue. With over 20, 000 works of art, it has the state's second largest collection of art. On the first Sunday of every month, it offers a free classic music concert as part of its Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen series. There are works by artists like Warhol, Miro, Picasso, Gainsborough and Rothko.

Felipe Hernandez

Fantastic museum! Excellent exhibits! A very wide variety of art from many cultures, eras, and mediums. Highly recommend visiting. Keep in mind that there is no onsite parking, as it is located near State Street. Two nearby parking ramps are your best options. There's a grocery store, coffee shop, restaurant, and retail spaces directly across the street.

Lee Kronforst

Lovely.

Kevin Boerschinger

Unbelievable collection of art from all disciplines. A must on your trip to Madison. Give yourself a couple hours at least because there is so much to see and experience.

Adam Markus

Second time here, beautiful pieces! Dissapionted that gift shop was closed but my experience was as great as last time.

Mary Deck

This place is pretty rad. People don't post as many artsy photos from the Chazen on Instagram, but that's okay. It's a neat building, and you can take shelter from the rain underneath it. They've got a good collection, and they're right by the iconic Humanities Building.

William John Pētry

Fantastic! The amount of art is amazing for being such a small Museum on the campus, and there really is something for everybody. It is true that much of it is modern art, but the historic pieces that they do have from the Archaic Period and early modern periods are something to view. What makes the museum stand out to me is the fact that it is free. I visited twice or three times a year, mostly to see the temporary exhibits, but also to see the familiar exhibits. It's very calming, and great for the whole family. Although, with a family, I might avoid the modern sculptures, as they can get graphic.

Tatiana Vasilenko

Interesting place for visiting...

Melissa Meyer

Wonderful art museum. Affiliated with the University of Wisconsin

陳逸涵

Wonderful place to visit, and you can almost spend half a day here without being bored. Also it is free entrance so you can save your budget and enjoy fine arts.

Stewart Grant

Did not get the time to visit properly. There is a really nice pathway that decends down from an overpass which loops through the museum. If you want a nice detour I suggest taking it.

Frank Heinrich

What more could you ask of a free art museum. Great installments and worth spending an afternoon at

Citrine S

Fine museum, I like that in some areas there are interactive pieces, like the pipecleaner flowers and the ping pong balls (I went in June 2018). Staff is very courteous, and I'd definitely come back at another point in the year!

Cindy H

Very nice museum and free!

Maylis Saigot

I did not visit the museum but when their for their study day and it was the best study day over. They had therapeutic puppies to cuddle, colorings and plenty of candies, cereals and hots drinks and well as many tables to work and pizza around dinner time. It was such a cool initiative!

Joshua Graham

Beautiful curation, accessible interpretation, friendly staff

Niq Glass

One of the most robust collections I've ever seen and a great coat room/locker area for those traveling with luggage.

F K

Best art museum in Madison. Free admission, wonderfully diverse collection, lots of sculpture. Galleries are well organized with complimentary pieces.

Zachariah Wells

Great museum. Wonderful volunteers and staff.

Marianela Triana

Excellent museum. A great collection to satisfy all art connoisseurs.

Stacy LinDell

A wonderful museum! You could east spend the entire day here to soak in all the fantastic art work. The Drawn to Art exhibit was especially wonderful.

Braden Poe

The diversity and quantity of art in this museum was completely unexpected. I'm typically not one to enjoy contemporary art, but was left pleasantly surprised. The rotating medieval exhibit was small but offered plenty of interesting pieces to look at. I particularly enjoyed the Japanese print section. With free admission, this is quite the overall experience.

Michaela O'Brien X

It was amazing.

Kathryn Rinderle

The Chazen Museum of Art is quite spectacular and truly more amazing than a visit to Starbucks. Go there for an entire week sometime. It's incredible and the art is character building and expressive in a way that is impressive.

Leonard A Buckner

Great to see the museum with the add on.

Kim Marley

Was there over 3 hours! Loved the experience!

Yahya Rushdi

A truly world-class art museum in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A wide array of incredible and diverse work from local, national and international artists. Must-see for people who appreciate art and even for those who don't. Be sure to carve out a good amount of time, because this is a surprisingly large museum, taking up two separate buildings. The Chazen regularly hosts guest artists and has community events throughout the year. Highly recommend!

Sonya Carlson

The free art activities are so fun we haven't had time to explore the rest of the museum.

John Jaeger

This is a great museum! Deceptively large. All sorts of periods of art. And free! Gotta go at least once if you're in the city.

John Incha

A wonderful museum! It's even better because it's free.

Ashley Johnson

What a great way to spend an afternoon. The large, diverse galleries create a broader understanding of what "art" can mean, and the exhibits change often enough to keep you coming back.

Tariq Akmut

I enjoyed my visit. Their screening theater seating has limited leg room .

David Crow

This place is huge! Also free which is a huge plus

Leonardo Rivera

Great museum with great work, all with fantastic and in depth descriptions of each piece. Clean facilities and friendly staff, right in bewteen of UW Madison's campus and downtown. A must visit!

Toys Games

Amazing works of art from many time periods and cultures. Well worth spending an afternoon if in the area.

David Todd

We were attracted by the special exhibit of modern Japanese blockprints and it was great. So was the rest of the museum. Very wide- ranging collection, well-organized, and with some real surprises in the depth and breadth of their holdings.

David Posso

This establishment houses a beautiful collection of art. All are welcome, admission is free. It's worth going through the exhibits with a tour guide. They have an incredible wealth of information, and are eager to share it with their guests. I very much enjoyed the collections of Aboriginal art, catch the collection before it heads to Seattle! Highly recommended, would love to come back.

Michelle Buttles

Lovely spot on campus everyone should spend lots of time here. 1 st Sunday concerts was our event today. Wonderful gallery always fantastic music . Always something special.

Rob C

I’ll be chazen you around all the awesome art!

Jose Miguel Perez Castillo

This was a great, complete collection for a regional museum. I was amazed by the variety and by the activity from the locals. I'm looking forward in coming back and really get to know the collection by heart

Morgen Teal

Amazing art, friendly staff, beautiful location. A great first art museum experience for my daughters.

Bryon Emberson

Impressive collection and its FREE!

Dan Fletcher

This is a really nice gallery. There is a nice mix of sculptures, mixed media and paintings in a wide variety of style's. There is a little bit of everything here.

Lori Madison

What a beautiful collection and space! Can never get enough of this place!!

Samantha Stephenson

Huge displays or various art and it's free! Plan to spend some serious hours here if you enjoy admiring all the details.

Andrew Felsinger

interesting stuff, they change their stuff quite often so thats nice. 3 stories there is definitely a lot to look at.

Maria Kobzeva

Nice space and it is free. Temporary exhibitions can be fun to see.

Chelsea White

Went here for a field trip with my class for college. We had some guides walk us around and show us the art and talked about the different pieces they had. No backpacks are allowed in the museum but they do offer lockers to keep your stuff safe.

Shahariar R Ullah

Good to see some extra ordinary artworks!

Chazen Mellis

Great name for a great museum

Patrick Perkins

A little bit for everybody.

Richard James III

There are a couple of pieces of art they're that kind of creep me out.

NANCY ALDRICH

Beautiful art museum with some awesome art collections.

S Sturtz

This is a huge art museum with all different types of art. It's also free, which you can't beat.

Mary Kay Baum

Great Iceland exhibit by Michael Kienitz. Could use even more room for it's splendor and teaching moments.

Cha Myo

A very interesting place with great collection of arts. The place will teach you variety of things from the perspective of the artists. Paintings bring emotions and expressions that you can relate to everyday living. Work of art from the ancient times are very inspiring. The place is free and very peaceful. Most of the collections are very fragile and takes time to get to know each one of them. I say, a day tour at the museum is worth your time. For museum lovers, this place offers a lot.

Jay R

This is one of the most beautiful art shows I've ever seen and I've seen a handful....anyways the pictures can do it justice.

J N

I have been to the Chazen many times to see the free art. They have great rotating collections and visiting artists throughout the year. They do give tours for groups as well. I have been on one of their tours. I highly suggest that you take a tour. The guides are very knowledgeable and will ask if the group wants to see anything in particular. I think the tour took about an hour from start to finish. One of the guys on my tour asked a lot of questions and the tour guide was able to keep up with him even! I was super impressed. The museum is always very clean and well organized. The variety of art in the museum is very diverse. There seems to be a little bit of everything for everyone. It's a great place to take the kids also.

Andrew Faeshed

spent many hours here. i love it. so beautiful. so much great art of different varieties.

Diane W

Wonderful collection in a great setting!

Leslie Eshelby

This beautiful university art gallery has no admission charge. The galleries are bright and creatively filled with an interesting mix of works. The art on display includes paintings, sculpture and ceramics from antiquity until the present time. Madison is lucky to have so many attractions that are free. This museum has a wide variety of paintings and sculptures that span hundreds of years. The museum itself is beautiful and spacious. A real must see if you are in town.

Peggy Timmerman

Nice variety of art and artifacts, beautifully displayed.

Daniel Gross

This is one of a number of free museums on the UW campus. It is deceptively HUGE. We expected a gallery or three. We found two big buildings! With both a traditional approach and areas with a more modern hands on and interactive approach the Chazen is worth the visit. Permanent exhibits include a variety of techniques in pleasing gallery spaces. I especially liked the glass installations on the bridge between the buildings which happened to catch the light just so when we visited. A majority of the installations could be considered modern in terms of history, but this is also very much and obviously a teaching space for the University as well.

Josephine Holman

The layout is a bit confusing, and the map is not very helpful. But tons of great art to view and ponder.

Steve Q

Beautiful sxhobits and gift shop. You can't take a backpack inside.

Guy Grenke

Amazing collections. Moving

Kathleen Mailman

The diversity is beautiful.

Tina Lupiezowiec

A Madison gem. We're so lucky to have so much history and artistic talent to enjoy. And not just the crowd pleasers but also some eyebrow-raising pieces as well!

Diana Byrns

Great collection! Free visit today!

Bri Hime

I love art. I love it so much. This place has great pieces of art and a lot of it was home grown! I really like too that there is an area for guests to doodle on the wall and get a bit interactive

Gene Cupp

My 1st visit. I'll return and spend more time.

db richardson

An oasis near the heart of the campus quite close to the memorial union and waterfront. The museum is open and airy. There are several donated collections here and most of what i saw was from the modern era. When turning a corner into a gallery there was always a work that immediately captured my attention. A pleasing discovery and i regretted leaving after only an hour.

Chunfen Zhou

The New Building gives the museum ample square footage to display its collection as well as a spacious lobby. It seems to me that the lobby was not designed as a place for socializing. But with the Memorial Union Terrace's being a mere 5-minute walk away, that is not really a problem. There is enough art to keep you busy for an hour or two. Most galleries, however, lack introductory labels (interestingly, they do exist in those smaller, connecting galleries). Moreover, many individual objects also come up with nothing more than the most basic information (e.g. time period, artist, material). There are a few sunlit nooks in the building where you could sit or lay down, and then daydream. They speak to me what this museum is about: it is rather a place to enjoy and relax yourself than one to receive an education in art history. When the weather is not good or when you want to take a break away from the hustle and bustle on the terrace, come here and you might discover an ideal destination - did I mention it's free?

Raja Umair Shahzad

Loved the place.Owner was very friendly. Especially the food was very good and halal.

Andrew MacRostie

I only had a little time to see the art, would like to go back someday and spend some more time there.

Mary Ramage

This was my first time here and I loved it all! I would love to continue visiting the different exhibits as they change! I was taken away by the Ancient Japanese art and the Drawn to Art: The Waisman Center Collection. The intricate details of each piece. I was tickled by the modern art that I wasn't expecting to see! I wish I would have had more time to view everything...another trip to come I suppose! I brought my 7-year-old daughter on this trip and though she was impressed and well-behaved, her attention was short lived and I wouldn't try to make this a long stop if you have children that are not intrigued by art. Overall, I would go back and plan to!

Khairiyatun Akhiruddin

An extensive collection..impressive considering it's a university museum. Easily would need to spend about 2 hours in there. The tour, happening on Thursday and Sunday 12.30pm would be a good way to start.

Heather Wisniewski

This place is perfect sized to spend some time and see some great art. The show's travel, so all pictured is not always there. The museum employees are all amazingly polite. There are lockers for coats and things that are very reasonable. Bathrooms on every floor. And was free. Really a great couple of hours to see everything and get to go do something else. What an amazing treasure

Mark Salamone

Lots of excellent art. The permanent exhibits are worth seeing, and sometimes the special galleries are really niche and fascinating. That it's free doesn't hurt at all! The only downside is that it never seems to be open when I want it to be.

Bob Blint

I enjoyed the various types and the quality of the work!

Timothy Larsen

Very nice museum. Lots of diff types of art, different centuries. And it reminds me of when I was younger living in Paris France. All the museums my parents dragged me into.

Micaela Orgaz

Modern

Jose Smith

For true Arts fans, this is a truly wonderful place and amazing venue considering the relative size of Madison. It's a gift to this city from an amazing woman. Please do see this wonderful place, as it is incredible considering the size of Madison.

Timothy szczykutowicz

Cannot beat the location (near the uw campus and restaurants and water) and the admission (free). Beautiful building in an approachable atmosphere, I usually go with two kids under 7.

Laramie Perez

A nice mixture of art in a well laid out space. Also features art from uw students. It's not at the tier of art museums in bigger cities, but it had some notable and eclectic pieces. I would recommend it for teenagers or older due to the nature of some of the pieces.

Steve Stefanovich

Free with great art and nice views of the campus. Worth a stop.

Joshua Przybyszewski

Most of the art is upstairs, so be sure to explore. Convenient location, and free admission. The selection is nice for a city art museum, but I wish there were more pieces.

Vance Nelson

Nice place to spend an afternoon

Montana Greider

My husband and I had a wonderful time here. They have a great collection, free admission, informative staff, and just the right size to spend the early afternoon here.

Alex Riegert

Great place to take a date or to just wander around. Plenty to see and you can't beat the price of admission (free!)

Nancy Sorensen

Wonderful permanent collection as well as community events, and traveling exhibits. Excellent small museum.

David N.F.

Great museum, great experience

Melissa Hudson

Thought provoking artwork. Must visit!

Myra Lee

A beautifully kept museum with an impressive array of artists and rotating collections, the Chazen is an understated treasure of downtown Madison. Stepping inside from Library Mall feels like taking refuge from the frenetic city. Check out the lovely windowed alcoves for a view of University Square in quiet repose.

Patrick Broderick

Fantastic location for free, public art.

Peter Killoran

Free museum has education collections and solid modern art collection Nice rotating exhibits keep it worthy of multiple visits

Joe Jackson

Some great, and significant art pieces. The mark of an outstanding Art Museum is if you run out time, and there is still more you would like to see. The Chazen is like that now.

Patrick Metz

An amazing and FREE museum to see some great artwork and pieces of ancient history.

Julia Madsen

Great free venue for art plus they serve Peets Coffee

B. V.

Nice museum, not crowded at all in the summer. Hey have a large variety of pieces from various ages, including pottery and non paintings. Large modern collection as well. Spans across 4 floors so be prepared to walk a lot. Surprisingly way more to see than you’d expect from a university museum. Admission is free and the gift shop has lots of neat Knick knacks.

Anna Arenz

I came to this museum on a rain Sunday morning and it was awesome. The museum was well laid out and easy to wander through. There is a huge range of art that covers different time periods, medians, and styles. I enjoyed this museum from beginning to end. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes art or wants to see some pretty things.

Tapas Sarangi

I don't understand paintings that well, but they do have some cool pieces to see here. If you want to spend some quiet time with no one to disturb, go here... It's free.

Scott Manning

An expansive collection of diverse artwork in a beautiful, well laid-out museum. It's bigger than it looks from the outside, and a serious art fan could spend hours here. It's also great for a quicker stroll through for casual art appreciators. I was with tween daughters, so once we got restless the central location was another benefit. It's a quick walk to the lake, Memorial Terrace (University of Wisconsin) and the countless shops and restaurants of State Street. And it's free! What a gem for the University and for Madison!

TJ Z

Diverse, awesome collection

Thomas Yates

A++++ HUGE museum, great collection. a must see.

Steve Davis

Nice museum. Go through it in about 2 hours.

dave warner

Great museum. Loved the art projects that they sponsor. Great that they foster creativity!

Laura Krajacic

Wonderful Art Museum. It's bigger inside than you'd think. You really need half a day or even multiple trips to take everything in.

Charles Rudi

Went there with my class and it was amazing

Tyler Swenson

Nice collection

AVERY PILOT

This is an impressive collection, especially given the size of the City of Madison. Be sure to see the Surrealism room and some architectural pieces by Frank Lloyd Wright inside.