High Museum of Art

The High Museum of Art is the most important art museum in the Southeast and one of the great architectural landmarks of Atlanta. Its original building, designed by Richard Meier and opened in 1983, is a white enamel-paneled composition of curves and ramps around a soaring atrium; in 2005 Renzo Piano added three pavilions clad in aluminum panels, with roof scoops that pour soft natural light into the galleries. Together they form the heart of the Woodruff Arts Center on Peachtree Street in Midtown, which also holds the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Alliance Theatre. The collection is broad and strong in particular areas: American art from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, decorative arts and design, African art, photography — especially photography of the civil rights era and the American South — and folk and self-taught art, with one of the most significant collections of works by Southern self-taught artists anywhere. European paintings, modern and contemporary art and a lively program of children's spaces fill out the galleries. In 2026 the High is celebrating its centennial with a full year of special exhibitions, including a major Martin Puryear survey, shows on photography, sculpture and design, and the return of collection favorites, plus free community events. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and closed on Mondays, and admission is free on the second Sunday of each month, which brings crowds. Allow two to three hours. It is the best rainy-day choice in Midtown, an easy walk from the MARTA Arts Center station, and a natural pairing with the Botanical Garden and the Fox Theatre district.

The High grew out of the Atlanta Art Association, founded in 1905, and took its name from the High family, who donated their Peachtree Street house as its first home in 1926. Its modern history is bound up with tragedy: in 1962, more than a hundred Atlanta arts patrons died in a plane crash at Orly airport in Paris while on a museum-sponsored tour, and the Woodruff Arts Center was built in their memory. A Rodin sculpture given by the French government, The Shade, stands on the lawn outside as a memorial. The museum has grown steadily since, and its Meier building remains one of the most photographed in the city.

To plan a visit, check what is on before you go — the centennial program means special exhibitions change through the year and some may need a timed ticket. Start in the Meier atrium, then follow the ramps up through the collection galleries, saving time for the folk and self-taught art and the photography collection, which are the High's most distinctive holdings. The Piano pavilions hold the modern and contemporary galleries and much of the special exhibition space. The museum offers jazz and after-hours events on certain evenings and family programs on weekends. Second Sundays are free but busy; a weekday morning is the calmest time.

The High is at Peachtree and 16th Street, directly above the Arts Center MARTA station, so it is easy to reach without a car. There is paid parking in the Woodruff Arts Center deck. The surrounding Midtown blocks are full of restaurants, and the Atlanta Botanical Garden and Piedmont Park are a short walk east. Combine the High with the Botanical Garden for a Midtown day, or with a show or tour at the Fox Theatre a few blocks south on Peachtree.