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Richmond's Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,
America's first state-wide arts system, opened in 1936. In December 1985,
it effectively doubled its gallery space with the addition of the West Wing,
containing the collections of the two gallery sponsors: the Mellons and the
Lewises.
And now, If have not
been to the recently, you may be astounded by the changes. The museum is going through a
massive reconstruction and expansion. Some of your favorite galleries may
be temporarily closed, but what is coming is extraordinary. About 100,000 square
feet of gallery space is being added to the current 240,000 square-foot museum.
A new triple-height Atrium is being added that will connect the new building
with the two existing wings. You will be able to walk into a new library, cafe,
and galleries with natural light bathing the area. The current parking lot
will be replaced by a park with fountains and gardens.
Fortunately
there is still much to see and do in the museum today. The American Gallery
features "An enduring legacy" exhibition. Special exhibitions will be
featured in the "Look Here" gallery. The museum's website sums up the extent of
the collection:
"The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts houses a remarkable permanent collection of
more than twenty thousand works of art from almost every major world culture.
Especially noteworthy are the museum’s collections of Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and
Modern and Contemporary American art donated by Sydney and Frances Lewis; French
Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art and British sporting art given by Mr.
and Mrs. Paul Mellon; American art acquired through the J. Harwood and Louise B.
Cochrane Fund; The Lillian Thomas Pratt Collection of Fabergé jeweled objects;
and The Jerome and Rita Gans Collection of English Silver. The museum’s holdings
of South Asian, Himalayan, and African art are among the finest in the nation.
Because some
galleries may open or close due to the continuing expansion, avoid
disappointment by calling 804 340 14000.
One of our
favorites is the Faberge display, particularly the extraordinarily beautiful
Easter Eggs created for the ruling Romanov family in Russia between 1885-1916.
The Imperial Rock Crystal Easter Egg was created from emeralds, rock crystal,
gold and ivory. Inside the egg are twelve miniatures of royal Romanov residences
and official buildings!
A life-size statue of the Roman Emperor Caligula,
dating from the first century A.D., is one of the museum's prize pieces.
But this is not the work best remembered by Virginia schoolchildren; their
favorite is the Egyptian mummy sarcophagus (a stone coffin). Another piece
in the Egyptian collection, the Seated Scribe, has an interesting story.
The two halves of the Seated Scribe were acquired separately, the top
part added 13 years after the bottom was purchased by the museum. The
figure now looks as it originally did in the years between 663 and 525 B.C.
during the Saite period in the XXVI dynasty.
The Virginia Museum of Fine is open
Wednesday through Sunday
from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. (closed Mondays and Tuesdays and major holidays. Visitors are
requested to make a
donation of $5. Motorized scooters and wheelchairs are available for those who
need them. Check in the Coat Room or Information Desk. Visit the museum's
excellent website -
http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/ for information about current and coming
exhibitions.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is located in the Fan,
a district of restored homes, charming cafes, arty boutiques and antique shops.
The Fan, encompasses 85-blocks and extends north to Monument Avenue, south to
Main Street, east to Laurel Street and west to the Boulevard. The once
decaying turn-of-the-century townhouses have been reconstructed and are now
popular with the faculty and students of Virginia Commonwealth University.
Directions: From I-95/I-64 take Exit 78 and travel
south 1 1/2 miles on the Boulevard to the museum, located in Richmond’s West End
at the corner of the Boulevard and Grove Avenue.
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