The Nelson Gallery Foundation

“In conformity with accounting policies generally followed by art museums, the collections that were acquired through purchases by the Board of Trustees and contributions since the inception are not recognized as assets on the combined statements of financial position. Purchases of collection items are recorded as decreases in unrestricted net assets in the year in which the items are acquired or as decreases in permanently restricted net assets if the assets used to purchase the items were restricted by donors. Contributed collection items are not reflected on the combined financial statements. Proceeds from deaccessions are reflected as increases in permanently restricted net assets.”

“The Museum's comprehensive permanent collection spans 5,000 years and numbers over 37,000 objects. The Asian Art collection of 10,090 objects is among the finest in the world by virtue of its size, depth, and overall level of quality. The outstanding Ancient Art collection numbers 865 objects, with masterpieces from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and the classical world. The Architecture, Design and Decorative Arts collection contains 5,473 works, with European and American holdings. The European Painting and Sculpture Art collection of 848 objects, while not large, is of fine quality throughout. The American Art collection includes 673 paintings, sculptures, and drawings with superb portraits and landscapes by major 18th and 19th-century painters. The Modern and Contemporary Art collection of 1,118 objects includes important works from the early 20th-century to the present. The American Indian Art collection of 2,274 objects is particularly strong in Southwest Navajo material. The African Art holdings include 455 objects, and the Museum has made an institutional commitment to develop Kansas City as a significant center for the collection and study of African Art. The works on paper, prints only, total 4,371 works. The breadth, depth, and quality of the Museum's Photography collection are matched by only a small group of the largest museums in the United States. The Photography collection of 11,164 works provides a panoramic vision of its subject, American Photography, from the invention of the medium in 1839 to the present. The Museum is also home of the 20-acre Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park which includes the largest collection of Henry Moore sculptures outside of England. Currently 6.6% of the Museum's collection is on display at any given time, with as much as 9% exhibited annually throughout collection rotation. Any work of art not on view is available for research, unless its condition precludes this use. In fiscal year 2015, the Museum lent 142 objects to 23 exhibitions.”

“Endowments are in place to support specific education programs, exhibitions, collections administration, art acquisitions, and operations.”