The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) has been around for over 100 years, opening on December 16, 1911, as the Isaac Delgado Museum of Art.

Prior to this museum opening, there were not a lot of publicly accessible cultural attractions to be found in New Orleans. This seems almost unimaginable today, when the city is known for its thriving music scene, its world-famous Mardi Gras celebrations with elaborate floats and parades, and, of course, Bourbon Street, where one can hear blues, jazz, rock, country, zydeco, and more in the space of a couple of blocks.

The viewpoint of there being little of cultural value in New Orleans in the late 19^th/early 20th centuries may not be widely shared, but it was ostensibly the opinion of the mistress of Mr. Delgado. This refined French woman, who shall not be named (because we don’t know her name), felt that New Orleans didn’t offer much, as she had previously been used to the art museums and theaters of Paris. Whether this story (from an unknown family member) is true or not, the important thing is that the museum was built, not only for the benefit of this mystery mistress, but for all the people of New Orleans.

Delgado, who immigrated from Jamaica in the 1850s, made his fortune in the sugar and molasses business. Not only did he contribute the money to establish the museum, which he wanted to be a “temple of art for rich and poor alike,” in his will he left his personal art collection to the museum, which included sculptures, paintings, and furniture. Delgado’s philanthropy also extended to large contributions to the Eye, Ear and Nose Hospital, Charity Hospital, the New Orleans Convalescent Home, as well as giving the land and money for the establishment of a trade school for boys, which today is the Delgado Community College. Unfortunately, Delgado did not live to enjoy his gift to the city; he was unable to attend the opening of the museum due to illness, and he died less than a month later.

NOMA has an impressive collection of paintings from the Americas and Europe, as well as Native American, African, Asian, and Pre-Columbian art. There is also a large collection of photographs, along with prints, drawings, and textiles - some 40,000 objects in all. One important part of the museum for the community is the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, which opened in 2003. This large space (twelve acres) is home to more than 90 pieces of art displayed throughout the park, including works by Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, and Do Ho Suh, among many others. The best part about the Sculpture Garden is that it’s open seven days a week and is free to visit.                                         

The museum has expanded several times over the years, the last one being in 2018, with the expansion of the Sculpture Garden,. The museum’s name was changed in 1989, from the Delgado to its current name after a vote by the board of trustees. NOMA has also weathered (pun intended!) some tough times, most notably after Hurricane Katrina struck in August of 2005; eighty-five percent of the staff was laid off, and the museum didn’t open its doors for another six months. However, the museum eventually came back to life, and is now one of the premier art institutions in the South.