Kansas City’s contemporary art home hides in plain sight near the Nelson-Atkins: the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Missouri’s largest contemporary museum — and, in true Kansas City fashion, completely free.
Designed by architect Gunnar Birkerts, the building’s dramatic winged atrium sets the tone for a permanent collection that includes works by Georgia O’Keeffe, Willem de Kooning, Louise Bourgeois and a giant Tom Otterness sculpture weeping happily outside. Rotating exhibitions bring national and international artists into conversation with the collection year-round.
The Kemper keeps things lively with artist talks, family days and Café Sebastienne, one of the city’s prettiest lunch spots, tucked inside the museum.
Small enough to savor in an hour and rich enough to reward a whole afternoon, the Kemper is the Nelson-Atkins’ modern next-door neighbor — and Kansas City is lucky to have both.
