Frist Center for the Visual Arts Reviews

Kids area is very entertaining for art lovers of all ages, nice little museum with impressive, albeit somewhat small, exhibits

Great place to visit, easy to get to and a great price

I enjoyed the Frida Kahlo exhibit, but that was all there was. If this museum is what you're used to, it probably seems legitimate. The building is beautiful. However, I am used the Detroit Institute of the Arts and the University of Michigan Art Museum. The DIA has ancient through modern art, a mural, mummies, and takes all day to walk through. The price is five dollars. The U of M has a variety of art from Dale Tiffany, medieval Japan, and the modern era, as well as rotating exhibits and is free. It costed us $15 per ticket to see one exhibit at the Frist, which lasted an hour and a half, tops. I wish there were more options, or that the museum was free to the public.

Quality art museum, you will definitely see works by internationally acclaimed artists!

Nice collection, although pretty small as of February 2019.

Love the rotating exhibits. Always a variety to see.

A neat setting and I really appreciate the free parking. The rotating exhibits keep it fresh.

I've been multiple times, before als the exhibits were really nice I even love the art area for young kids as well as kids at heart! But on this day, I had the awesome privilege of attending a performance presented by Nashville Jazz Workshop- a tribute to Nina Simone! The entire event was wil organized! The musicians awesome! The singer Dara Tucker PHENOMENAL!!! The Frist has embraced all at forms!

This art museum is not very large, so temper your expectations. I ve always enjoyed the exhibits that they have. Just check the website before you go to make sure they have exhibits you want to see.

Love this place. The French Impressionist and the Frida Kahlo exhibits have been my favorite thus far. I can't wait to see what other exhibits they have.

The Frist is a gem in Nashville that everyone should see. So much history as well as excellently curated exhibits. Downtown Nashville.

Audio tour is a must. Great, easy to manage, museum. Accessible to all ages. Well curated

This museum is AMAZING and the price is great. Kids 18 and under are free which is always great. College students are 10 dollars and free certain days. The museum offers rotating exhibits. This month was Eric Carle and it was cool. They also have a whole area where you can do arts and crafts and other activities. I will definitely be taking the kids back.

Very happy to see Frida and Diego's exhibition , especially beeing able to see some of their original paintings and also personal notes and drawings as well as some of Frida's original dresses was fascinating .

We have been several times over 5 years and the family always enjoys the visit.

The kids art center is the carrot I dangle to my kids (now 10 &12) so they will agree to visit. The art exhibits have never failed to draw them in and explore and enjoy before remembering that they came for the kids center.

The renovated kid center still has their favorites (print making, stop motion video making, painting, and drawing stations). In addition they have added a changing color wall, color with your shadow, and several other new favorites.

The Frist Center is still a Nashville must go!

Great museum in classic art deco era building. Constantly rotating exhibits, always fantastic.

Walked through everything in 20 minutes this is a complete waste of money.

This place is a joke. To quote my husband, "There's nothin' good about that place at all." The staff, except for the nice man outside painting the fence, was extremely rude and conceited (but it could be they were just embarrassed by the place). We toured all there was to see in about 10 minutes and that's counting my husband's trip to the restroom. I'm still looking for the candid camera because our experience was so weird, that's how I felt. This is NOT an art museum.

I really like the inside of this place. It's very art deco. I Went to a cool renaissance period showing and after there was a crafts and art studio you could play around in. I would definitely come back!

Only visited the building and took the architectural tour (didn't go for the paid entrance), but well worth it anyway. Very rich in beautiful details.

A beautiful museum that is a quiet respite from lower Broadway. Cool and interesting a 2 hour break here refreshed flagging energy. The exhibits were interesting, but do not miss the GORGEOUS floors made from blocks of wood.

The Frist is lovely, and if you are a student they have free student nights! I went for the second time and they had all new art exhibitions which were really spectacular. The new MapQuest center was fun too and open to all ages, so I made my own little piece of art even though I initially thought I was a bit too old for it. The cafe is tasty but a bit overpriced as all museum restaurants tend to be--the lemon cake was really delicious though. Will be visiting very often!

Definitely a smaller gallery than I expected by the size of the building, yet a fair experience for the price.

Saw the Samurai exhibit and fell in love with this place. Darling gift shop, husband bought a Samurai Umbrella and I am Kimono Hair Piece.

I haven't visited the museum, but the building itself is a gem. Worth visiting for any architecture/design fan. Art Deco at it's best!

Great museum with amazing collections. Gift shop is great for special gifts for that hard-to-buy- for person and cafe is a secret gem. Great date place!

Amazing interactive exhibits for kids on top floor. Top notch painting, drawing, reading nooks, hands on exploration--great! The Eric Carle exhibit is wonderful.

Also a wonderful historic building in its own right -- the Frist is in the old 1930s Art Deco Nashville Post Office. Wonderful Art Deco characters throughout the lobby and Art Deco features (lights, transom windows, marble floors and walls, etc.). Truly an Art Deco gem!

Wonderful non-collecting museum, meaning there is not (or very little) of a permanent collection, but with very good and consistently rotated exhibits. The museum is housed in the beautiful art-deco style old main Nashville post office that is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The exhibitions are well-timed and usually provide a nice variety of work, and the art space upstairs is great for kids, adults, and anything else. This is my favorite place in Nashville.

A great landmark in Nashville being in the old post office. It s a family friendly gallery and always shows local art along with breathtaking displays.

Kids area are great, lower art gallery security guards are overbearing, unfriendly, worse than TSA inside Buddha exhibition 4/7/2017

We visited the Paris 1900 Exhibit about art, fashion, lifestyle and the 1900 Exhibition. Fabulous!! Historic and tres chic!

The discovery exhibit upstairs is super fun for kids of all ages- and adults!

Attended for a student at show. Disappointed at the lack of other exhibitions at the time. Martin Art Quest inside is best for kids 5-10.

Nice building,. Not a huge place. Saw the exhibits in less than 2 hours.

Such an interesting museum, and, really, a manageable size. If you're a first-timer, be sure to focus also on the building and its history. Look up and enjoy the art deco details.

Went for the Italian car exhibit with my boyfriend. We both had a great time!

It's a fine little museum, and it's kind of the only option in Nashville, but it feels expensive to me. There is no permanent collection, so the experience completely depends on what's currently showing, however, there is a large area for kids to experiment with art making in many forms, and that part is always neat.

Great place. Been here SO many times. Favorite part of downtown Nashville to be honest. Lovely gift shop, though it's a bit pricey. Would recommend checking it out.

Just go. Everything about our weeknight visit was wonderful.

Quest for the Sublime by JMW Turner is their main exhibit right now and it was very underwhelming. The flags and Ghandi's letter to Hitler upstairs was cool, but that's all there was. I could be spoiled by the Dallas Museum of Art or maybe need to come back when a different exhibit is here.

Absolutely delightful, powerful and informative tour given by Merle Borne!

Great museum I wish I had frequented more but I got 2 check out legendary film director Harmony Korine s exhibit, Shadows and Loops, a few years ago

Small art museum. Some of the exhibits are quite good. But the overall impression is underwhelming

Interesting exhibits, always a pleasure to visit the Frist.

Nice small museum with ever changing exhibits. We were here for Frida Kahlo & Mexican Modernism, Surrealism & War in the 1930s 40s. Loved that they also included local art with the North Nashville Now Murals.

One of the best art museums I ve been to in a long long time. This is well laid out and the exhibits are set up so beautifully to fully capture the store of the artists they showcase.

The building in itself is very historical and so beautiful to see and touch. As a carpenter I first took notice of the floor of the showrooms and thought of the structural magnificence - then found the case that told the store of the floor, why it was like that, and the history of the building.

Well worth admission! Also, don t sneak in food into the space. It s not just because the staff doesn t want to clean up after you. It s so the person standing next to you in the gallery doesn t hear you crunch your trailmix with your mouth open (Sorry, passive aggressive message aimed at lady yesterday).

I absolutely enjoyed the Dorothea Lange exhibit. The price of admission is worth it just to see her amazing work. The museum is beautiful, both inside and out.

Enjoyed Free Museum Day! They have parking for a discounted price which makes it convenient
When it's not free admission for 18 and under is free and adults is no more than 20. They have a children's section and although the exhibit was small. I enjoyed it.
I reality I'm in love with the building. The history the architecture. Just ahh!

The current Exhibit Van Gogh,Monet, Degas and their times..is a must see !!!!!

Cool museum. Not that many exhibits. But they have some cool art from local schools.

Went when they only had the marriage chest exhibit, so entrance was discounted to $10. In my opinion, totally worth it. Coat check was available if you didn't want to drag your around, the whole place was clean and all labels were easy to read. The exhibit was interesting as well, and while I didn't explore it, there was an area for kids as well. The lighting was a little sparse in places but it wasn't a big deal, I assume it's lit like that to protect the art.

Very nice old art deco post office that should be returned to the people

Every time I come, I notice something new about this place! It never gets old to me, I just luv it!

This isn't a place for everyone. If you don't enjoy the art's and would prefer to watch someone paint a fence, it isn't something you'd enjoy. It's beautiful and educational, my children enjoy coming here, as do my husband and I. Currently it's not as enjoyable because of the virus, but it is still worth a visit.

The Samurai exhibit was fantastic (just wish there were some good primary source books in the gift shop). The Michaelangelo exhibit before was amazing. When there is a great exhibit, we have to go.

Very gorgeous and beautiful pieces of art presented here. The art is always changing, which makes a good trip for multiple occasions.

The Frist Art Museum was delightful I enjoyed all the art exhibits. I didn't really like the fact that the tour guide was going everywhere and taking his time I didn't even get to some of the art.

The frist is always a great place to visit. The newly updated areas in the frist make this place even more desirable. Can t wait to visit again

The Paris 1900 exhibit is truly wonderful.It is only here for a matter of weeks......tgey should hold it over longer.

Lovely setting, very friendly staff. Just another reason to love Nashville!

A very large, formal building, in the art deco style of architecture, with two floors. There is a cafe beside the entrance for anyone hungry, as you cannot bring food into the main exhibit. The hallway leading up the main exhibit features various student artworks from around Tennessee. The main exhibit features an expansive collection of works by various famous artists, with an informative plaque beside each one. There is a gift beside the main exhibit, featuring mainly exquisite jewelry made buy various crafters.

The Eric Carle exhibit was wonderful. Perfect for children.

Absolutely amazing museum with a ton of exhibits. The artifacts are wide ranging and the timeline is quite wide. There's something here that everyone will enjoy. I like the fun interactive exhibits as well. The modern/contemporary pieces were also fantastic. Best part is the admission is included in to the ticket for the country museum and hall of fame.

My favorite place for lunch in Nashville, the atmosphere is calming always welcoming and exhibits are always great.

This place is definitely unique. The building in of its self is incredible. Visited during a day trip to Nashville, so it wasn't very crowded. The samurai exhibit was really stunning and well thought out, being able to see the things that were apart of their daily lives and all. Also, I absolutely love the idea of the rotating exhibits they do here. I would definitely recommend taking the kids here, too. The upstairs kids area has all kinds of really wonderful things to keep little minds thinking.

Beautiful location, wonderful exhibits. There's something for every age to enjoy.

Great kid space with many hands on activities. Fantastic galleries in a historic building.

Wonderful exhibit chronicaling desegregation of Nashville schools and other happenings during the '60's. It's currently free!

Amazing. Very kid friendly but also is a fun place for creative and artistic adults. Make sure to check what exhibits are open before you head inside because I went in and only one exhibit was actually open but it was still a great time.