Dallas' hidden treasure: Museum of Biblical Art

View of the entrance to the Museum of Biblical Art from the Boedeker Street side.
If you ask average North Texans where to go locally to see great works of art by renowned Masters, they’ll probably point you to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth or the Dallas Museum of Art in the Arts District. But there’s one more museum to add to the list and it’s in an unexpected location.

The Museum of Biblical Art, located on Park Lane just behind NorthPark Center, appears closed from the street with one entrance blocked off and heavy wooden doors shut against the blistering Texas heat. I had been past the plain, sandy-looking building many times thinking it wasn’t open until I read the hours on the museum’s website. However, once inside the building, there is a much more welcoming vibe.

The only photos allowed inside the museum are of the
"Tapestry of the Centuries" mural by Vladimir Gorsky.
I like to surprise myself when visiting new places, so I have to admit I didn’t do my homework and had no idea what to expect. I was a little skeptical when the first exhibit was the “Resurrection Mural” by Ron DiCianni. I found the image of Jesus exploding out of the tomb to be a little over the top, and the audio guide focuses more on evangelizing to the listener than providing information about the history or artistic technique behind the image.

But as I walked out into the American Artists – Colonnade section, I was struck by some fantastic engravings, sketches, lithographs and paintings. As I looked closely at the description of the pieces in this section, I began to notice some truly noteworthy names: Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent and even Andy Warhol. The two Warhol pieces (“Butterfly Angel” and “Angel of Flower”) were interesting because though they feature his signature prominently, the style was so different from his more well-known Pop Art pieces. They appear to pre-date his later signature pieces and are possibly from the mid-to-late 1950s. The museum verified that these pieces are all originals, not reproductions.

Bronze sculpture by Gib Singleton.
Throughout the museum are a number of bronze sculptures by Gib Singleton. I love the emotions he evokes in each piece. His sculptures help bridge the gap between the Christian and Jewish segments of the Museum of Biblical Art. Speaking of the Jewish section, the Judaica Galleries feature some really neat menorahs including a stone piece from Yemen that dates to the 1300s and a terra cotta piece from Libya from the 1700s. The featured artwork and ritual instruments vary from historical to contemporary, including some beautiful silver pieces by Swed Master Workshop in Israel. There’s even a series of original lithographs by Marc Chagall.

Getting back to the Biblical theme of the museum, there is currently an exhibit featuring King James Bibles from the 1600s including a first edition from 1611. The exhibit has both “He” and “She” versions, which are distinguished from each other based on the line in Ruth 3:15: “…and he went into the citie” versus “and she went into the citie.” These Bibles come from the Charles C. Ryrie Bible Collection. Additional rare pieces can be found in the Charles C. Ryrie Library within the museum, but this section was closed for a private event during my visit.

The Museum of Biblical Art was founded in 1966 and received its current name in 1999. In 2005, an electrical fire destroyed more than 2,500 works of art. For artists and historians, the Art Conservation Lab is a must-see stop. A workshop room is visible behind a pane of glass, allowing a glimpse into the work of artists who are restoring pieces that survived the fire. Some conservation classes are offered.

The Museum of Biblical Art/ The Biblical Arts Center
7500 Park Lane, Dallas, TX, 75225
(214) 368-4622
www.biblicalarts.org

The museum is closed on Mondays and open Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and the rest of the week from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  General admission is $12.00. Students with ID and seniors over 65 are $10.00.

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