Portland Art Museum — The Pacific Northwest's Oldest Art Museum

At a Glance

Founded in 1892, the Portland Art Museum (PAM) is the oldest art museum in the Pacific Northwest. Two buildings face each other along downtown's South Park Blocks, holding about 45,000 works. Smaller than the giants of New York or LA, its depth in Native American art and photography makes it a quiet Pacific gem.

Buildings & the Rothko Pavilion

The main hall was designed by Pietro Belluschi in 1932; the adjacent Mark Building (a former Scottish Rite Temple) expanded modern-art space. The ongoing Mark Rothko Pavilion project links the two with a glass atrium—an homage to Rothko, who spent his youth in Portland.

Must-See Collections

• Center for Native American Art — one of the finest Northwest Coast collections in the US.
• Photography — strong in Minor White, Imogen Cunningham, and West-Coast masters.
• Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso — the European-painting highlights.
• Rothko drawings — intimate early works donated by his family.
• Asian Art Gallery — Japanese Edo painting and Chinese ceramics.

Visiting Tips

Start from European painting on the main building's third floor, move down to American art, and finish at Native American galleries on the first floor. Pair the visit with Pioneer Square and Powell's City of Books for a complete downtown afternoon. The MAX Light Rail Library stop is three minutes away on foot.