Free and open to the public, The Bell’s program is defined by new commissions and exhibition projects with emerging and underrecognized artists whose work aligns with the research interests of the BAI curatorial team and reflects the interdisciplinary mission of the BAI. Responsive to the strengths and needs of Brown’s campus and its exceptional community of scholars, artists, students, and staff, as well as wider regional communities, The Bell commissions two to three major exhibitions a year that are amplified by public events and conversations, publications, artist residencies, and performances.

The Bell maintains a permanent collection of more than 7,000 works of art, dating from the 16th century to the present, with particularly rich holdings in 20th and 21st century works on paper. Drawings by Auguste Renoir, Henri Matisse, and James Abbott McNeill Whistler complement contemporary works by Sadie Barnette, Rina Banerjee, Deana Lawson, Nari Ward, and Chitra Ganesh. Lee Bontecou’s Untitled,1962 sculptural relief and Blue Horizon, Frank Stella’s important transitional painting from 1952 are highlights of the painting and sculpture collections. The encyclopedic print collection spans much of western art history from Dürer and Aldegrever to Callot and Rembrandt, Hogarth and Goya, Daumier and Manet, Kollwitz and Kirchner, and to Warhol, Schnabel, Mark Dion and Ghada Amer. Particularly strong in mid-century documentation, the photography collection features significant work by Walker Evans, Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan, Larry Clark, and Danny Lyon, as well as recent additions by Deana Lawson, Sadie Barnette, and Martine Gutierrez.

Named in memory of David Winton Bell ‘54, the gallery opened within the Albert and Vera List Art Building in 1971, a multi-functional building that also includes classrooms, lecture halls, and extensive studio space. Designed by architect Philip Johnson, List Art Building is located on the crest of College Hill, in close proximity to the RISD Museum and downtown Providence and is within the Perelman Arts District.