"Recognized by international art critics as a world-class museum in the heart of the Midwest, the Des Moines Art Center has amassed an important collection with a major emphasis on contemporary art. The collection’s overriding principle is a representation of artists of the 19th and 20th century, each through a seminal work. This accounts for an impressive collection that ranges from Edward Hopper’s Automat to Jasper Johns’ Tennyson, Henri Matisse’s Woman in White, Georgia O’Keeffe’s From the Lake No. 1, and Francis Bacon’s Study after Velásquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X.

The Art Center’s physical complex marries with the collection for a totally integrated experience. The collection is housed in three major buildings; each designed by a world-renowned architect – Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier.

The Art Center extends its scope with Des Moines Art Center Downtown, an urban exhibition space and Museum Shop in the heart of downtown Des Moines."