Meadows Museum

This museum specializes in Spanish art. It is a lovely way to spend the afternoon. The gift shop is also nice. My friends and I are unable to get away without purchasing something.

We came here on Thursday with my class from SMU. They have a great variety of paintings. Between all of the artists and styles, you definitely need at least two hours to see everything.
On Thursday evenings it is free to the public. For SMU, students and staff, it is free all the time.
Come check it out!

Incredible collection of Spanish art. Great to bring the kids to and awesome learning opportunity. Beautiful setting on SMU campus and free parking in the garage underneath the museum.

One of the best museums in the country. Although small, this little gem packs a lot of art punch. The collection is primarily Spanish with a propensity towards religious Renaissance. I used to go to the original location across campus and had mixed feelings at first about a new building. However they have done a wonderful job and I don’t know of a better way to spend Thursday evening than catching their free admission then a bite to eat in the area.

This museum is simply breathtaking. Meadows and the DMA are my favorite museums in Dallas. What sets Meadows apart is that it is a hidden gem. Not too many people are aware of this museum since it is a smaller museum, and so every time I go I can enjoy it peacefully.
Their collection of Latin American and Spanish art is superb. As a previous Spanish and History major I have a great appreciation for the Latin culture. Consequently, their collection blew my mind away. I felt like a child unwrapping presents on Christmas since I was in the presence of renowned artists like Picasso, Frida, Diego Rivera, Murillo, etc. They even had a fabulous Don Quijote sketch on the first floor, which I loved. Since I have read that entire book in Spanish, I was so excited when I saw that. There is nothing funnier than the tales of Don Quijote on his adventure. The curator really did a wonderful job. I definitely think that their Spanish art is superior to the DMA’s.
I recommend visiting Meadows on Thursdays after 5 PM because that is when admission is free.

Tucked away at the SMU campus, this little museum made for a great visit. I looked to help my son round out his Social Studies project on Spain and at the time of our visit were showcasing the painter Martin Rico.
The museum docent was very knowledgable and helped keep him engaged and interested in learning more. The museum gift shop was well stocked and reasonably priced. The museum if free to visitors every Thursday from 5 – 9 p.m. and parking is included, as well. Enjoy!

I had an amazing first experience here. Meadows museum hosted a free wine testing. There were over 100 wines to sample and the wine class was exceptional. The service was excellent. The art is amazing (apparently this museum has the largest Spanish collection outside of Spain). This is a great place to go on a date or for a little culture :). Get on their email list for events and special exhibitions

While we were wandering on the SMU campus, we found the Meadows museum. It was truly a nice surprise on an early Thurs evening, we got in for free!
The building itself is beautiful red brick with a terrace. Inside of museum was serene. One of us knew about archeology and noticed all the Spanish art collection and antiques.
When we left, we noticed the big star in the horizon off the terrace. Another one of us knew about astronomy and mentioned it probably could be Jupiter since it seemed to be surrounded by a smaller star or its moon.

First off, admission is free on Thursdays after 5pm. They also have some free tours on certain nights. I missed it, but would love to come back for it. The museum is small, but there is plenty of beautiful works to see.
A spendid museum located on the SMU campus. There is a cool wave piece outside, as you walk up the steps to the museum. It sounds like it’s powered by electricity, but looks like it could be powered by the wind. The wave reminded my nerdy self of a contraption that my high school physics teacher put together to demonstrate wave length, amplitude, and velocity. Cool! I wanted to jump up onto it and run with the waves, but there was a sign stating that the area is under surveillance.
The Buddhist Cave Temple exhibit was great. Seeing some of those super old statues that were pretty much carved into the side of a mountain was amazing. The exhibit also had pictures of original sites of the statues and home of the monks. The best thing about this museum though was the Prado exhibit. The Spanish paintings were mind blowing. Goya and Ribera’s works were too, too beautiful.
This a must-​see museum in the Dallas area!

Awesome museum and some of the most amazing Spanish art around. I am not sure how so much Spanish art made its way from Spain to Dallas, TX but it is an impressive collection.

VERY NICE! We came here in the winter on a snow day! A great date venue. Wonderful variety of art. I really enjoyed it!

Wow, what a nice surprise the Meadows Museum turned out to be. I was visiting the university and took the time to also visit the museum. Outside the museum are several spectacular sculptures, two of them are hard to miss. There are also several smaller sculptures surrounded by greenery and benches so you can sit down and truly enjoy them.
The collection of Spanish artist was extensive. Having visited the Prado and knowing nothing about the Meadows before my visit to SMU I was stunned to see such a large collection of Spanish art outside of Spain. If you are in the area and have a couple of hours to spare or half a day you would be wise to spend it here.

I think the Meadows Museum at SMU is one of the best kept cultural secrets in Dallas. Admission is very reasonable, parking is ample and the beautiful SMU campus drive is great for a stroll after wards.
The permanent collection features pieces ranging from the Spanish masters to a giant mesh sculpture of a head out front in the garden.
The travel ling exhibit is currently «The Lost Manuscripts from the Sistine Chapel» and it was amazing to see the workmanship that went into the calligraphy, miniatures and bookbinding in previous centuries.
Make sure you stop in the gift shop– they really do have an interesting array of items for anyone who loves Spanish décor or art.

Great museum with the most beautiful paintings I have ever seen. This museum is so great that I don’t think words can really convey how great it is. The staff are knowledgeable on the paintings, ask Dick!
Words can not express, you should visit!

Excellent collection of Spanish art now featuring paintings from El Greco. I was surprised by the quality of most of the paintings from Sorolla, Goya but most surprisingly by contemporary artists reinterpreting Spanish masterpieces. I loved one altar piece that covers one of the main walls.
I really liked the outdoor area with sculptures and the fact that it is not a huge musem, so you can cover everything in a reasonable time. This museum is not expensive and not crowded at all so it helps the experience.
At some point we were aproached by a teacher that works at the Meadows, very enthusiastic and helpful in giving us interesting facts.

Nice building, but this collection is a bit staid for my taste. I believe there is a permenant collection of Spanish art here, which I didn’t find very inspiring, with an emphasis on religious art, and then a rotating exhibit. The rotating exhibit I saw was about some boring Spanish prince. It was super yawn. Nice facility though. Free parking with validation.

The Meadows Museum is the largest collection of Spanish Art outside the Iberian Peninsula. It was a gift from the Dallas Oilman, Algur Meadows. It is said that in the early 1950s he went to Spain in search of oil and the oil that he found was on canvases!
I love the museum. The building is a classic box-​style museum, very symmetrical, with a massive stone staircase in the middle of the building.
Admission is free on Thursday nights. They also have a nice program of free lectures that are frequently also on Thursday. The programs are listed on the website.
The Museum is tucked away on the southern end of the SMU campus. Look for the large Calatrava moving «sculpture» that is streetside out in front of the Museum. Parking is under the Museum. The entry to the parking garage is on the south side of the building. If you miss it the first time, just circle around and come back and try again!

Like the Prado, but without the crowds and the airfare. It’s a little gem as others have said, mainly focused on 17^th-​19^th century Spanish painters and featuring some superb works by Goya, Velazquez, de Ribera (especially) and more.
Most of the works are not covered in glass and the guards are tolerant about letting you get right up to the paintings to study the brush strokes. The spot lighting has some fun with this here and there: check out the highlighted forehead on Goya’s Sabatini portrait (looks like he was asked to paint over a zit) and the billowing white curtain out a second floor window in Rico y Ortega’s Venice streetscape.
A practical note: be sure the museum is open before you park in the underground lot. You have to get a «validator» inside the museum to exit and if you don’t have it there’s a $ 20 fee.

You ever wonder what conversation at the Meadows’ home was like?
(circa 1964)
«So honey, big day running the oil company? What would you like to do tonight?»
«No Monday night football… think I’ll donate all my art from our frequent visits to Madrid to SMU so they can start a museum and name it after me.»
«Don’t forget to make the museum free on Thursdays with plenty of free parking so the poor can enjoy it as well.»
«Spot on idea! Should we give them the Rodins and the Reaughs or the Goyas and Picassos?»
«Hell, donate the lot of them. They are just taking up room in the house and I need a place to put the treadmill.»
«Done! Can’t have my honey’s hiney getting flabby.»
And they did. Meadows is responsible for the accumulation of one of the best collections of Spanish art outside Spain. The museum is amazing. They have visiting exhibits as well, including the current «New Light on the Etruscans» which was brought together by the archeology department of SMU and enlightens us all about the ancient Northern Tuscan archaeological site. One can see sanctuary pieces, gold jewelry and other unearthed treasures.
And though I’ve never eaten there, The Gates restaurant serves lunch and it’s always looked fun. Admission is $ 8 unless you go to SMU or are under the age 12. Admission is free on Thursdays. They are closed on Mondays.

I’m no art junkie, but it’s cool to me!
I’ve been here several times now and I just went this past weekend to see the Coming of Age exhibit that’s gonna be there till the 24^th of February. It’s a collection of Art made in America from the 1890’s (?) to the 1950’s. As you start from the landscape pictures and on towards the modern stuff you can actually see the change in art styles. My favorites were the 3D models that they had up.
They do have a permanent collection of European, mainly Spanish works and they have a restaurant!(a review for another day!)