Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, Saint Louis

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation is an art museum that offers free admission to the public. The building was designed by Tadao Ando, a renowned Japanese architect. The museum was established in 2001 by Emily Rauh Pulitzer, who had originally intended to create a space to showcase the works from her and her husband's private collection. Tadao Ando was commissioned in the 1990s to renovate an abandoned automobile factory and showroom in the Grand Center Arts District of St. Louis, but the project was put on hold when Emily's husband, Joseph Pulitzer Jr., passed away. Later, Emily approached Ando again, and he designed his first freestanding public building in the United States for the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

The museum's inaugural exhibition showcased works from the Pulitzers' private collection, including pieces by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, Kiki Smith, and Andy Warhol. From the second exhibition onwards, the scope of the exhibitions expanded to include works outside of the family's collection.

The museum has presented a wide range of exhibitions, including group shows featuring minimalist art, Buddhist art, Old Masters, and contemporary themes. The museum has also hosted solo exhibitions of artists such as Dan Flavin, Ann Hamilton, Gordon Matta-Clark, Richard Serra, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and others.

One unique feature of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation is that works are displayed without wall labels to encourage unmediated encounters with art. This allows visitors to engage with the artwork on a more personal level and form their own interpretations.