Brooklyn Museum of Art, museum in the borough of Brooklyn, N.Y. Its predecessors were the Brooklyn Apprentices' Library (1823), the Brooklyn Institute (1843), and the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences (1890). Opened in 1897, the museum is located in a Beaux-Arts building designed by McKim, Mead, and White that has been substantially added to over the ensuing years, including a sweeping glass-roofed entrance pavilion (2004). The museum is particularly famous for its large collection of ancient Egyptian art and its Egyptological library; its fine collection of American decorative arts includes completely furnished period rooms. Among the other important features are the collections of arts of the Americas as well as Greek and Roman, Middle Eastern, Asian, African, and Pacific Island art; American and European costumes; a comprehensive collection of American painting, drawings, and sculpture; and a major print and photograph collection. The museum presents a variety of special exhibitions and has a large art library and auditorium.
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