Denver’s art scene is as varied as the city itself. Wandering through the Mile High City’s museums, you’ll find everything from contemporary works by up-and-coming global artists to 19th century Western paintings to abstract sculptures.

Thanks to ever-rotating exhibitions, there’s always something new to discover. Here’s the lowdown on seven of Denver’s most prominent art museums.

Editor’s Note: This guide was updated on April 29, 2025.

American Museum of Western Art

The interior of the American Museum of Western Art
Second floor parlor of the American Museum of Western Art—The Anschutz Collection
William Jacob Hays' "The Gathering of the Herds," 1866, which features buffalo grazing on a prairie
William Jacob Hays’ “The Gathering of the Herds,” 1866; Photo courtesy of the American Museum of Western Art—the Anschutz Collection
The interior of the American Museum of Western Art
Second floor parlor of the American Museum of Western Art—The Anschutz Collection
William Jacob Hays' "The Gathering of the Herds," 1866, which features buffalo grazing on a prairie
William Jacob Hays’ “The Gathering of the Herds,” 1866; Photo courtesy of the American Museum of Western Art—the Anschutz Collection
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  • Address: 1727 Tremont Place
  • Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
  • Cost: $5
  • Don’t Miss: Parlors at the front of each floor have been furnished with period-appropriate furniture and decor and offer a reminder of the building’s history. In the second-floor parlor, look for the portrait of George Washington; it was painted circa 1823 and is the museum’s oldest acquisition.

One of downtown Denver’s hidden gems, the nonprofit American Museum of Western Art, which opened to the public in 2012, houses the Anschutz Collection: more than 600 works depicting the American West from the 1820s to present day. These masterpieces—most of which are paintings in gilded frames—are presented salon-style across three floors of the historic Navarre Building, which was erected in 1880. Those who want a deeper understanding of the people, places, and stories on display can join a guided tour, which are available at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ($7 to $10).

Clyfford Still Museum

The interior of the Clyfford Still Museum which features large paintings from Still's collection
A selection of Clyfford Still’s works on display; photo by Raul Garcia, courtesy of the Clyfford Still Museum
  • Address: 1250 Bannock St.
  • Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
  • Cost: $18; free for those 17 and younger
  • Don’t Miss: At the Clyfford Still Museum, no one is too young to appreciate art. The venue’s Art Crawl—held three times a month—invites infants (newborns through 14 months) and their caregivers to experience Still’s masterpieces through tactile activities and a guided gallery tour.

The only museum in town dedicated to the work of a single artist, the Clyfford Still Museum brought national—and international—attention to Denver’s arts scene when it opened in fall 2011. Walking through the light-filled galleries, visitors are afforded a unique opportunity to study one of the most talented but relatively unknown abstract expressionist painters of the 20th century and see his style evolve over time. With frequent guest curators, themed exhibitions, and regular community events like a monthly meditation class, museum staff work year-round to find fresh ways to connect visitors with the late artist’s work.

Denver Art Museum

exterior of Denver Art Museum's reimagined Martin Building
The Denver Art Museum’s reimagined Martin Building. Photo by Eric Stephenson
A woman admires a large metallic sculpture inside the Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum’s African gallery. Photo courtesy of the Denver Art Museum
exterior of Denver Art Museum's reimagined Martin Building
The Denver Art Museum’s reimagined Martin Building. Photo by Eric Stephenson
A woman admires a large metallic sculpture inside the Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum’s African gallery. Photo courtesy of the Denver Art Museum
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  • Address: 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway
  • Hours: Daily, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays)
  • Cost: $30; free for those 18 and younger
  • Don’t Miss: Once a month, the museum hosts Mindful Looking, an opportunity to spend time with a single piece of work (a virtual experience is also available for those who can’t attend in person.)

The DAM, as locals call it, is one of the largest art repositories between Chicago and the West Coast. Spread over four buildings, the campus is a showcase for global creativity across 12 collections, including Indigenous art of North America, African art, textiles, photography, architecture and design, and more. The museum also draws visitors with its exceptional lineup of rotating exhibitions, including, in recent years, work by the likes of Amoako Boafo and Frida Kahlo. Designed by renowned Italian architect Gio Ponti in 1971 (the only building the late designer ever built in North America), the museum has continued to evolve in recent years: Its renovated north campus and Martin Building reopened to art enthusiasts in fall 2021, with a new focus on inclusive storytelling. In May 2024, the DAM merged with what’s now known as the Kirkland Institute of Fine & Decorative Art at the Denver Art Museum (scroll down for more on that institution); ticket prices cover both venues.

Kirkland Institute of Fine & Decorative Art at the Denver Art Museum

The interior of the Kirkland Institute featuring chairs, furniture, and Vance Kirkland's abstract paintings
Vance Kirkland Gallery 1 allows Museum visitors to view a retrospective of all five of Vance Kirkland’s painting periods, from watercolor realism and surrealism to his later oil paint abstractions and Dot Paintings. Photo by Wes Magyar
  • Address: 1201 Bannock St.
  • Hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sunday, noon–5 p.m.
  • Cost: $30, free for those ages 13 to 18 (kids younger than 13 are not permitted)
  • Don’t Miss: The museum is meant to be experienced like a series of vignettes, as if you were walking through the rooms of a house. Start at the welcome area promenade and finish your journey inside Kirkland’s original 1910 Arts & Crafts–style studio. Staff painstakingly preserved the 1,384-square-foot building by picking up and moving it one mile from its original Golden Triangle location to the current Bannock Street facility.

Originally opened in 2003 in honor of renowned Colorado painter Vance Kirkland—and quite literally constructed around his original studio—the salon-style museum displays a whimsical assemblage of paintings, Art Deco and Modern furniture, and international decorative art from Kirkland’s personal 30,000-piece collection. The pieces span every major design period from the 1870s to present and include an impressive array of local and regional works, as well as regular, rotating exhibitions. In May 2024, the Kirkland merged with the Denver Art Museum; ticket prices cover both venues.

Denver Botanic Gardens

A sculpture from Dave Chihuly on the Denver Botanic Gardens grounds
Dave Chihuly, “Colorado,” 2014. Photo © Scott Dressel-Martin
  • Address: 1007 York St.
  • Hours: Daily, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. (hours change seasonally)
  • Cost: $16, free for those two and younger
  • Don’t Miss: Back in 2014, the Gardens hosted an outdoor exhibition of works by famed American glass artist Dale Chihuly. He created one site-specific piece, “Colorado,” a spiky red, orange, and yellow sculpture designed to look like a yucca. It stands (very) tall in the center of the Ellipse Garden.

Sure, you visit the Denver Botanic Gardens to smell the sweetly scented flowers, get ideas for a sturdy Colorado garden, and take advantage of the spring and fall plant sales. But the venue is also an accredited museum (the plants are considered a “living collection”) that hosts a lively calendar of permanent and traveling art exhibits. The two indoor galleries at the Freyer–Newman Center host frequent shows of local and regional artists, including by students at the Gardens’ School of Botanical Art & Illustration, and there’s a regular rotation of creative classes open to the public.

Museo de las Americas

The interior of Museo de las Americas
Photo courtesy of Museo de las Americas
  • Address: 861 Santa Fe Drive
  • Hours: Tuesday–Friday, noon–6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon–5 p.m.
  • Cost: $8, free for those 13 and younger
  • Don’t Miss: One key way we connect across cultures: language. Museo hosts a casual, monthly Spanish Conversation Club, called Habla, at Cervecería Colorado. All levels are welcome.

Museo de las Americas opened its doors more than 30 years ago as a place to celebrate the diversity of Latin American art, culture, and traditions—both contemporary and ancient—and generate cross-cultural understanding. The nonprofit art space is an anchor of the Art District on Santa Fe. Three to five exhibitions are put on each year and are always paired with a robust suite of programs, while two galleries are devoted to curated displays of works from the museum’s private collection.

Museum of Contemporary Art Denver

Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. Photo by Wes Magyar

  • Address: 1485 Delgany St.
  • Hours: Tuesday–Friday, noon–7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
  • Cost: $14, free for those 18 and younger
  • Don’t Miss: You can bring a contemporary work of art home with you—for free—thanks to the museum’s Octopus Initiative. Denver metro area residents can sign up for the lottery-based program and luck out with a piece by a Denver-based artist gracing their walls for 10 months.

One of the goals of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA) is to “spark curiosity and conversation.” Mission accomplished. With its easy-to-reach, modern venue in LoDo, quirky programming, and diverse exhibitions—spotlighting everything from the iconography of the cowboy to Jean-Michel Basquiat to rising local artists—the MCA is the place in town to discover what’s trending (or will be trending) in the contemporary art world. In spring 2022, on the heels of its 25th anniversary, MCA signed a seven-year lease for the historic Holiday Theater in Highland, where it hosts community-focused programming, including ​​artist talks, film screenings, and performances.

Plan Your Visit: Many of the museums in this guide host regular free days. Check out this calendar to find upcoming dates.

Daliah Singer
Daliah Singer
Daliah Singer is an award-winning writer and editor based in Denver. You can find more of her work at daliahsinger.com.