A year-and-a-half after being closed by a fire, the Downing Museum in Bowling Green is set to reopen Thursday.
The museum houses numerous paintings by the late artist Joe Downing. The Hart County native was one of few Americans to have an exhibit shown at the Louvre in Paris.
The fire, ruled electrical in nature, damaged nearly all 1,200 pieces in the Downing collection, though most were salvageable. Museum Director Craig Cunningham says restoration work continues, but enough pieces have been restored to reopen the attraction, which will also include a special exhibit on the fire.
"We have water colors that have a hole burnt in them that are in a shadow box and photos of our staff pulling paintings out of the basement while the building was on fire," explains Cunningham.
The museum’s reopening will feature some artwork previously not on display, as well as photos of Downing’s time in France, where he lived for most of his adult life.
The Downing Museum is located on the estate of Jerry Baker, who has endowed the art collection, home, and grounds to WKU.
