THE BACK STORY
“ The Crockers wanted their museum to be a gathering place for California ’ s many communities ,” says Lial Jones , director and CEO of Crocker Art Museum . PHOTO BY FRED GREAVES
A Family ' s Legacy
The Crocker Art Museum dates to the purchase of the site by E . B . Crocker more than 150 years ago
Crocker Art Museum by the Numbers
BY Ed Goldman
From its official opening in 1885 , the Crocker Art Museum ( then known as the E . B . Crocker Gallery ) has had a split personality . While the claim that it is “ the first public art museum founded west of the Mississippi ” isn ’ t inaccurate , it may be a bit misleading . Potential visitors might read that and , unless they are history buffs , delete it from their itineraries , believing that the paintings , sculptures and drawings at the Crocker are connected by cobwebs and must have been surgically removed from cave walls .
However , the Crocker has long been a lure not only for modern art , but also , as its collection evolved during the 20th century , contemporary art . The earliest works of modern art date from the 1860s — meaning that as Edwin B . Crocker and his wife , Margaret , began to fill their home and gallery in 1872 , modern art was actively being created .
“ There were literally thousands of acquisitions made by the Crockers themselves — actually , 2,482 ,” says Scott A . Shields , associate director and chief curator of the Crocker . “ They were often purchasing work by contemporary artists , both abroad and then in California . They likely began their education in art and museum planning before their departure ( in 1869 for a tour of Europe ), which saw them starting to make their initial acquisitions .”
Shields offers this bit of background from the museum ’ s history booklet as a peek into the couple ’ s self-schooling : “ Surviving from their library are key 19thcentury reference works , including every volume of Art Journal between 1849 and 1871 , as well as works by Gustav Friedrich Waagen , Anna Brownell Jameson , Luigi Lanzi , James Jackson Jarves , and John Ruskin . Volumes of line-engravings illustrating major European collections , some dating after the family ’ s return from Europe , continued their education .”
Today , the Crocker is a mix of genres , eras and art movements . In ad-
23,000 : Approximate objects in permanent collection
270,000 : Annual visitors ( pre-pandemic ) $ 10 million : Approximate annual budget 161,800 : Total square feet 88,444 : Square feet of gallery space
Through the Years
1868 : Edwin B . Crocker purchases property at Third and O streets
1872 : The Crocker family mansion and art gallery are completed
1885 : Margaret Crocker donates the property to the City of Sacramento , and the E . B . Crocker Art Gallery opens to the public
1978 : The facility is renamed Crocker Art Museum
1989 : Renovation restores the historic facade and adds a modern gallery interior
2010 : Teel Family Pavilion opens
SOURCE : CROCKER ART MUSEUM
96 comstocksmag . com | April 2021