About the Museum
The Rhode Island School of Design and the RISD Museum were born out of the industrialization of the region in the years following the American Civil War. Rhode Island was renowned as a center for the production of silverware, jewelry, machine tools, steam engines and textiles, and in 1854 it was proposed that a school and gallery be built to complement its numerous factories and workshops. RISD remains one of world’s leading institutions for the study of design, and the museum houses a formidable collection spanning ancient art, costume and design, and works by modern and contemporary artists including Pablo Picasso, Louise Bourgeois and Richard Serra.
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Collection Highlights
Repose, c.1870-1871
Egyptian, Coffin of Nesmin (detail), c.250 BC
Roman, Floor mosaic fragment depicting Bacchus, 325-330
Thomas PairpointNeptune Epergne and Plateau, 1876
Japanese, Buddha Mahavairocana (Dainichi Nyorai), c.1150-1200
