- How do I schedule a group tour?
- What are the Blanton's hours of operation?
- How much is admission?
- Where do I park?
- How many works of art does the Blanton have?
- What else does the Blanton do besides display art?
- Who is Jack S. Blanton?
- Can you tell me more about the building and the plaza?
- May I take pictures?
- I have some art that I'd like to donate to the museum. How do I do that?
- I have a painting that I think is a Rembrandt. Can someone at the museum tell me what it's worth?
- I have a painting that's been in my grandmother's attic for 80 years and needs some work. Can someone at the museum fix it?
How do I schedule a group tour?
To schedule a school tour you can contact the Education Department at (512) 471-5025. The cost is $2 per student for school groups. Teachers and required chaperones are free; additional adults may enter at the regular admission price.
For adult groups the minimum number for the group rate is 10 people. To schedule an adult tour you may call (512) 471-5025.
- Admission for adult groups with a docent is $9 per person.
What are the Blanton's hours of operation?
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Thursday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (FREE DAY)
- Friday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Saturday: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Sunday: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
*On the Third Thursday of every month the museum is open until 9 PM — please visit our calendar.
How much is admission?
- FREE ADMISSION ON THURSDAYS
- Current UT ID Holder: Free
- Blanton Museum Members: Free
- Adult: $9
- Senior (65+): $7
- College students with valid ID: $5
- Youth (13-21): $5
- Kids 12 and under: Free, must be accompanied by a supervising adult
Where do I park?
There is a parking garage directly behind the main gallery building—Brazos Garage on Brazos and MLK.
Parking is $3 for members and paid museum visitors only. Visitors must pull a parking ticket and bring it to the museum Visitor Service desk to pay and receive this rate.
Parking may not be available during UT special events.
For more parking information visit our parking page, call (512) 471-6126, or visit http://www.utexas.edu/parking
How many works of art does the Blanton have?
The Blanton has over 18,000 works of art.
We are predominantly strong in:
- Modern and contemporary American art, including the Mari and James A. Michener Collection of 20th-Century American Art and the C.R. Smith Collection of Art of the American West.
- Modern and contemporary Latin American art, including the Barbara Duncan Collection of Latin American Art.
- 15th Century to contemporary prints and drawings, featuring the Leo Steinberg Collection.
- European Paintings, including the Suida-Manning Collection of Renaissance and Baroque art.
What else does the Blanton do besides display art?
The Blanton presents a broad range of gallery talks, lectures, concerts, symposia, and teacher workshops to the general public and university community. This includes lectures by visiting scholars, curators, artists and faculty; film screenings; community programs; docent training, and training for teachers in public schools.
Who is Jack S. Blanton?
- The museum was named for former University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Jack S. Blanton in 1997, when a campaign was announced to build a new museum building. The Houston Endowment, Inc. gave $12 million to kick off this campaign to honor Mr. Blanton, who chaired their board at the time. Mr. Blanton and his late wife, Laura Lee, also gave $5 million. In addition to serving as honorary chair of the museum advisory council and as a member of numerous other boards, he is a major philanthropist and former oilman who lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife Ginger.
Photo credit: Marsha Miller, March 2006
Can you tell more about the building and the plaza?
- Designed by Michael McKinnell of Kallmann McKinnell & Wood Architects, Inc. with Booziotis & Company of Dallas, opened in 2006
- Building Contractor: Skanska USA
- It is made of Texas granite, limestone, Venetian plaster, and Epe wood.
- 100 cedar elms will frame views of the Texas Capitol dome in the public plaza and garden.
- Designed by Peter Walker.
- Museum Complex Specs:
- 180,000 sq. feet — the largest university art museum in the country.
- 124,000 sq. foot gallery building (Mari and James A. Michener Gallery Building)
- 56,000 sq. foot Education, Visitor services, and Administration building (Edgar A. Smith Building)
- 145,000 sq. foot public plaza and garden
- Edgar A. Smith Building opened in 2008:
- Café - 2,520 sq. feet, elegant space for dining
- Museum shop - 1,680 sq. feet
- Classrooms - three
- Auditorium - 4,200 sq. foot, 299 seat space; equipped for slide, film, video or computer projection
- Offices
- Interior Breakdown of Gallery Building:
- Permanent Collection Galleries: 28,118 sq. feet
- Temporary Exhibition Galleries: 8,224 sq. feet for traveling exhibitions and a focus gallery for frequently changing exhibitions drawn from the Blanton's collection
- Education Areas 5,060 sq feet
- Conservation Facilities: 1,152 sq. feet
- Visitor Amenities: 11,600 sq. feet
- Print and drawing study center: 4,700 sq. foot center with seminar room, viewing room, prep areas, curatorial office, intern workstations, and state-of-the-art storage area
May I take pictures?
Non-flash photography is allowed in the upstairs permanent galleries only. Photographs are to be for personal use only. No photography of any kind is allowed in the Special Exhibition Gallery or WorkSpace Gallery.
I have some art that I'd like to donate to the museum. How do I do that?
Please contact the curator of the particular collection, and they can determine if the works will fit into our collections or not.
I have a painting that I think is a Rembrandt. Can someone at the museum tell me what it's worth?
Our curators do not offer this service. However, please contact the American Society of Appraisers at 1-800-272-8258.
I have a painting that's been in my grandmother's attic for 80 years and needs some work. Can someone at the museum fix it?
Sorry, we do not do conservation work for the public, but can recommend conservator Mark Van Gelder at (512) 458-9809 and Cheryl Carrabba for works on paper at (512) 452-5880.
