Dixon Gallery and Gardens

Dixon Gallery & Gardens is a favorite among Memphians and visitors to the city. It opened in 1976 in the exquisite home of the late Margaret and Hugo Dixon (at their bequest), community leaders and philanthropists with a great love for Memphis. The house was designed by John Staub, who developed the River Oaks area of Houston. An online photographer friend who is very interested in gardens and architecture told me that Dixon reminded him of the Biltmore Estate, and I would have to agree. It's of course much, much smaller, but it really is our own little Memphis version of the Biltmore.

The Dixon is one of my favorite spots in Memphis, whether for the exquisite art in the gallery, or the lovely gardens and extensive winding pathways outside. As stated on the Dixon site, "..at its inception, the Dixon Gallery and Gardens Permanent Collection consisted of 26 paintings. This initial Dixon bequest included works by French Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, an American Impressionist, and several 18th and 19th century British portraits and landscapes. Over the years, and through generous gifts, bequests, and museum purchases, the collection has grown to over 2000 paintings, works on paper, sculptures, and decorative arts objects. With the addition of the Warda Stevens Stout Collection of 18th century German Porcelain, The Adler Pewter Collection, The Armand Hammer Collection of Daumier Prints, The Noufflard Collection, The Forain Acquisition, The Ritchie Collection, and the Millennium Gift of Sara Lee Corporation, the Dixon's Permanent Collection has expanded to include related schools, American art, and a fine collection of decorative art." They also have a very popular outdoor concert series on the expansive rear lawn each spring and summer.

We enjoy visiting and viewing the beautiful collections inside, and then roaming the grounds outside (my favorite part).

Dixon is known for its lovely gardens, which have been planned using native plants and green methods of gardening.

Dixon also has an extensive collection of statuary and sculpture...

...around each turn on every path, there seems to be a new surprise awaiting you...

Isn't the conservatory beautiful? I always feel like I might feel in Europe when I visit this part of the grounds.

One thing that I love about Dixon is the wonderful use of evergreen trees and shrubs. The gardens at Dixon have "great bones", and look beautiful no matter what time of year you visit.

This is the back view of the Dixon, which would have been the back porch when the Dixons lived there. I tried to get a front view of the house, but both times it was raining quite hard. I will have to photograph that view next time, (which is a great excuse to go back).

As you can see here, the back lawn is quite large, allowing for the outdoor concerts and garden parties held at Dixon during the warmer months.

This is probably my favorite spot in the gardens. I wanted to get a close-up of this statue, but the rain again interfered...I will do that the next time we visit.

Even the outbuildings are lovely...

I hope that you enjoyed seeing the Dixon with me as much as I did sharing it with you. I'll look forward to showing you some more photos in a month or so...if you think it's pretty now, just wait until you see it in Spring!