Celebrating Art, History, and Nature

Pop artist Leo Jensen (1926–2019) turned a winking eye on America, producing irreverent art that is nevertheless serious in its cultural observations. Known best regionally for his bronze frog sculptures on the Thread City Crossing bridge in Willimantic, Jensen infused his work with humor as well as thought-provoking reflections on modern American society.

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To increase access to the Museum’s wonderful artworks, the Niblack Gallery in our Robert and Nancy Krieble Gallery will be dedicated to a long-term installation of selections from the permanent collection. Focused on three themes (community, Connecticut and the environment, and the creative spark), many of our most loved treasures will be on view and changed out throughout the year.

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The Museum’s annual Garden Luncheon is one of our most joyful and beloved events as we welcome spring with flowers, food, and fancy hats!

Gather your friends and join us for a day of garden-centered delights – a delectable lunch under the tent, a raffle to please every green thumb, and a dynamic speaker. Tickets will sell out so don't delay!

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In 2024 the world will celebrate the sesquicentennial of the first independent exhibition of the French Impressionists, marking 150 years since the “Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers, etc.” opened in Paris on April 15, 1874.

The Museum’s permanent collection contains many treasures through which to tell the story of Impressionism, how it traveled across the ocean, and how audience reactions shifted over time. Impressionism 150 will locate the role of Connecticut artists and settings in this narrative.

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Explore our full roster of upcoming programming. Family-friendly events, plus lectures and educational programming for the exhibition "Abandon in Place: The Worlds of Anna Audette." Flower arranging, crafts, Art Bars, and much more.

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Want to pre-book your general admission tickets to visit the Museum? We now offer this convenience to all visitors.

Click below to learn more and book your tickets today!

Book Tickets...

The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme is collaborating with the New Orleans-based artist jackie sumell to install one of her “Solitary Garden” beds on our grounds, in conjunction with the exhibition Social & Solitary: Reflections on Art, Isolation, and Renewal. The Solitary Garden project comes to life through correspondence between a volunteer and a currently incarcerated “gardener.” Their letters articulate to the Museum what kinds of flowers or plants are grown in the garden bed. Each Solitary Garden is a gesture of hope connecting an isolated person to the outside world through the restorative act of nurturing plants.

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Frames in Film: Presented by The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center & Florence Griswold Museum

Our ongoing partnership of art film screenings on the Kate's big screen! Join us on an armchair tour of some of the greatest museums in the world and explore the work of legendary artists.

Upcoming Films...

We have lots of options for campers from kindergarten all the way up through eighth grade. Creative kids build skills, explore their inner artist, and make friends and memories to last a lifetime.

Camps begin in June and fill up quickly!

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The paintings and sculptures in this exhibition are by artists who lived and worked in Connecticut from the late Colonial period to the early 20th century.

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During the first summers of the Lyme art colony the artists began to paint scenes on the door panels of the boardinghouse.

See the Collection

One of the most celebrated works of art at the Florence Griswold Museum is the frieze-like painting titled The Fox Chase (1905) created by Henry Rankin Poore.

See the Collection

Begin your visit at the Krieble Gallery.

Visit the Gallery

The Late Georgian mansion was transformed from a wealthy sea captain’s home into a boardinghouse for some of the most noted names in American Impressionism.

Visit the House

The Museum’s grounds invite exploration.

Visit the Grounds