Contemporary Arts Center

For more than 65 years, the CAC has been a forum for progressive art and ideas serving the city of Cincinnati and the region. Founded in 1939 as the Modern Art Society by three visionary local women, the CAC was one of the first institutions in the United States dedicated to exhibiting contemporary art.

The CAC established itself as a leader in 1940 as one of the first American institutions to exhibit Picasso's Guernica (1937), which traveled throughout the United States from 1939 to 1952. It has continued this pioneering tradition by featuring the work of hundreds of now-famous artists early in their careers including Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Nam June Paik, I.M. Pei and Laurie Anderson. In 1990, the CAC was at the center of an important First Amendment legal case, when it successfully defended the right of Cincinnati's citizens to view an exhibition of the photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe.

The CAC is a non-collecting institution that focuses on new developments in painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, performance art and new media. We remain committed to showcasing contemporary art and artists relevant to diverse audience, and developing programming that examines and reflects the importance of the art we exhibit.