Art Museum Introduction: The Denver Art Museum was founded in the 1890s and was originally called the Denver Artists Club, but it was not until 1949 that it opened its own gallery. The museum added a children's center in the 1950s and a "North Building" in 1971. In October 2006, the museum complex expanded again with the completion of the Frederic C. Hamilton Building. As a nonprofit institution, the Denver Art Museum relies heavily on private donations and private loans. Board members and their various branch committees work on fundraising and program development, raising nearly $20,500,000 in 2007-2008. Today, the Denver Art Museum is the newest, highest-altitude art museum with the most architectural features of modern art in the United States. It is also one of the twenty famous museums in the United States with the richest collection and the most art education activities.