The Dixon Gallery and Gardens are located deep in the suburban heart of East Memphis. The property and the basis for this collection were started by the Dixons; folks who collected fine paintings like I collect refrigerator magnets. This museum is located in a house with additional galleries added over time. The vibe of the museum reminds me of the Frick in New York, gracious, relaxed and homey. Their collection is focused and consistent as most of the paintings stylistically are impressionistic.
As opposed to the Brooks Museum, that has a vast collection, the Dixon has a smaller collection, thus reserving the largest gallery for visiting exhibits. I have found that over the years, this can be a hit or miss proposition. Years ago when my kids were small, I used to take them frequently to the Dixon for “museum training”. I would walk them around the museum and as soon as they appeared board or misbehaved, I would remove them immediately. Over time, they were able to remain for long periods in the museum without misbehaving. Please note, this worked for two out of three of my kids.
The Dixon always seems to be having special events, such as pottery shows, so an annual membership is a good value and dropping in frequently is easy. An extra bonus that I have found is that a number of other museums will accept the Dixon membership card.
The Dixon is currently running a special exhibit through October 9, 2011 on Jean-Louis Forain. Forain was a French impressionist painter and a poor man's Degas. Like Degas, Forain painted dancers and French society but he also painted battles from WWI. This exhibit started in France, Memphis is its only U.S. destination probably because of the Dixon’s HUGE collection of Forains (twenty of them!).
