The David Winton Bell Gallery opened in 1971 and is named in memory of a member of the Brown University class of 1954. The Gallery presents six to eight major exhibitions each academic year. Special emphasis is given to the display and elucidation of contemporary art in all media. The exhibition program includes an annual student show and a triennial faculty exhibition, as well as an annual New England artists’ show.

Recent exhibitions include one-person shows by Stephan Balkenhol, Annette Messager, and Ilya Kabakov, and thematic group shows such as False Witness: Installations by Joan Fontcuberta and Kahn/Selesnick, Color in Space: Pictorialism in Contemporary Sculpture, and Film Architecture: Set Designs from Metropolis to Blade Runner. Smaller, less formal installations, drawing on the permanent collection and loans, are mounted in the foyer adjoining the main gallery. Lectures, symposium and other educational programs accompany each exhibition.

In addition to its exhibition program, the Gallery maintains a permanent collection of more than 4,000 works of art encompassing the period from the sixteenth century to the present. The collection is particularly rich in contemporary art and works on paper. Included are significant prints and drawings by Rembrandt, Tiepolo, Goya, Daumier, Piccasso, and Matisse, as well as major works by Frank Stella, Lee Bontecou, Anthony Caro, Diego Rivera, Alice Neel, Richard Serra, and Joseph Cornell. The extensive photography collection includes strong holdings by Walker Evans, Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan, and Larry Clark, among others.