The permanent collection of the Jane Vorhees Zimmerli Art Museum numbers more than 60,000 works in a wide range of media and includes a survey of Western art from the fifteenth century to the present.
The Zimmerli has particularly strong holdings in 19th-century French art, particularly prints and rare books; Russian art and Soviet nonconformist art; and American paintings, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts. Work by women artists is a distinguishing aspect of the Zimmerli’s American holdings. Selections from these holdings, along with focused presentations of European art, art inspired by Japan, ancient Greek and Roman art, Pre-Columbian art, and American illustrations for children’s books, are always on view at the Zimmerli.
Each year, the museum presents two large exhibitions that survey a particular theme or movement in art or focus on the work of particular artists, especially women artists. The museum also presents a series of four or five cameo shows each year. These shows, which highlight the Zimmerli’s permanent holdings.