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Salt Lake City's first new fine arts museum in more than 40 years opens its doors on Pioneer Day — and Axios got a sneak peek inside.
Why it matters: The Salt Lake Art Museum bills itself as the state's only fine arts museum dedicated entirely to Utah artists.
- "There's no space that purely concentrates on that," the museum's executive director Chris Jensen told us.
State of play: The museum is inside the historic B'nai Israel Temple, built in 1890. It's the oldest synagogue in the state, and predates the Salt Lake Temple, which was completed roughly three years later.
- One exhibit explores German-American artist Albert Bierstadt's paintings of Utah landscapes after his expeditions across the state between 1863 and 1881.
- Another features self-taught Spanish artist Pilar Pobil, who lived in the Avenues until she died in 2024.
- Known for her bold, maximalist paintings, Pobil covered nearly every inch of her home and furniture with art, and the exhibit is styled after her colorful residence.
The intrigue: One exhibit that's sure to draw crowds is centered on Julia Reagan, the late wife of billboard company owner Bill Reagan, who installed hundreds of billboards across the U.S. honoring her memory after her death in 2024.
- The memorial billboards turned Reagan into an unlikely Salt Lake City pop culture icon, spurring memes, tattoos, Halloween costumes and merchandise.
- The display delves into Reagan's life, as well as the women's causes she supported.
- The exhibit runs through Dec. 23.
What they're saying: "A lot of artists, strangely enough, aren't known in Utah, but they're famous elsewhere," Jensen said, adding that our state is home to more fine artists per capita than anywhere in the U.S.
- Case in point: Internationally known sculptor Stanley Wanlass lives in Utah, but there are museums in Europe that prominently feature his work, Jensen said.
