About

The Masur Museum of Art is the largest contemporary art museum in Northeast Louisiana. Unique in its setting and renowned for its permanent collection and exhibitions, The Masur Museum provides an art experience that is distinctly local, emphasizing artists from Louisiana and the greater Southeast alongside artists of national and international importance.

The permanent collection includes works by Thomas Hart Benton, Mary Cassatt, Salvador Dali, Philip Guston, Joan Miró, Robert Motherwell, Pablo Picasso, and Auguste Rodin. Temporary exhibitions are curated year-round along with a full calendar of programming including art lectures, gallery tours, special presentations, art classes, and children’s workshops.

The museum’s rich history in collecting, preserving, and exhibiting art for the community and future generations to enjoy started with the building itself.

The Masur Museum of Art was originally built as a private residence in 1929. A lumberman by the name of Clarence Edward Slagle had the modified Tudor estate built for his wife Mabel. They called it Grey Gables, inspired by the Indiana limestone and Pennsylvania blue slate it is built with, which were transported on various waterways to the scenic Ouachita River running behind the estate. Originally the grounds included an English style rose garden and a lawn extending down to the river. When the Army Corps of Engineers built the levee system in the 1930s, the home’s carriage house was moved twenty feet to sit behind the new levee.

In 1934 Clarence Slagle passed away and Mabel soon after sold the home to the Masur family. Sigmund and Beatrice Masur and their children Sylvian, Jack, and Bertha Marie, lived in the home until the 1960s. The Masur children donated the home to the City of Monroe in 1963 to be converted into a fine art museum. Initially the museum began to present exhibitions and art education through the hard work of docents and volunteers. In 1974, the Twin City Art Foundation was formed to provide additional support for the museum, providing funding for exhibitions, educational programs, and the permanent collection. To this day the Masur operates as a partnership between the City of Monroe and the Twin City Art Foundation. The Masur Museum of Art is a division of the Department of Community Affairs within the City of Monroe.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Masur Museum of Art is to provide a quality visual arts experience through temporary exhibitions, educational activities and programs, and collections management, for the citizens of Monroe and the community of Northeast Louisiana. As the largest visual arts museum in Northeast Louisiana, the Masur Museum of Art strives to support and foster visual arts in the cultural and educational life of the community.