The Addison Gallery of American Art, on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, opened its doors to the public in May 1931, at a time when the idea of a museum devoted exclusively to American art was an innovation. Even more remarkable was, and is, its association not with a city or university but with a secondary school.

Intended by its founder, Thomas Cochran, "to enrich permanently the lives of the students of Phillips Academy, by helping to cultivate and foster in them a love for the beautiful," the Addison Gallery has continued to serve as an educational resource for the Academy while holding a well-deserved place as a center of American art for regional and national audiences.

The museum's purpose is to acquire, preserve, interpret, and exhibit works of art for the education and enjoyment of local, regional, national and international audiences, including the students, faculty, and community of Phillips Academy, and other students, teachers, scholars, and the general public.