Join Richard Woodward and Ashley Duhrkoop for a conversation about the beauty and power of art in its cultural context and in a museum setting. The dialogue will focus on three works of African and African-American art in the galleries.

European Romanticism, a movement that took place from about 1800 to 1850, emphasized individualism, intense emotion, and the exaltation of nature and the pre-industrial past. This workshop begins by exploring these themes in European art and literature of the post-Napoleonic era, then examines how Romanticism was transformed as the movement took root in the United States between 1830 and 1865. Activities include discussions of American landscape painting, Manifest Destiny, Transcendentalism, and new perspectives offered by women and African Americans.

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Encaustic painting, also known as “hot wax painting,” is an artistic technique that dates back to the Egyptians and is still used today by contemporary artists. Many works in the special exhibition Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch: Love, Loss and the Cycle of Life were created using the encaustic process for which Jasper Johns is well known. Observe Karen Eide, VMFA Studio School Instructor and practicing artist, as she demonstrates the encaustic process and discover this medium that captured Johns’s fascination.

Following the program, all participants are welcome to tour the VMFA Studio School with Mary Holland, Thomas C. Gordon, Jr. Director of the Studio School, to learn more about VMFA’s adult art classes.

Educational programming for Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch: Love, Loss, and the Cycle of Life is generously supported by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

In this novel, Robert Alexander tells the tale of the last days of Czar Nicholas II and his family. It is narrated by Mikhail Semyanov, an elderly immigrant who lives outside of Chicago. Mikhail provides an account of what it was like to be a servant of the captive family and witness their final tragic days. As the last living witness to their execution, does Mikhail hold the answers to important questions surrounding their deaths?

VMFA Book Club: Using books about artists or works of art currently on view at VMFA to pique curiosity and open discussions, VMFA Book Club explores these specific works of art as well as the setting and period surrounding the art.

Note: Reading the book is helpful but not required. The VMFA Shop stocks a limited supply of each book.

Discover the museum’s newest addition to the Robins Sculpture Garden–a work by the internationally renowned Spanish sculptor, Jaume Plensa, who specializes in large-scale outdoor artworks.

Unveiling of Chloe | 5:45 pm

E. Claiborne and Lora Robins Sculpture Garden
Free, no tickets required.

Edvard Munch had no direct students, but numerous artists have engaged with his work across time and space. This lecture examines Munch’s influence on New York artists—including Jasper Johns—in the 1970s and `80s while also considering the ways in which he continues to haunt canvases, prints, and screen culture.

Educational programming for Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch: Love, Loss, and the Cycle of Life is generously supported by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

Inspired by the special exhibition Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch: Love, Loss, and the Cycle of Life, this gallery talk contemplates three works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938), part of the Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection, a key German Expressionist artist with consideration of the impact of his life experiences.

VMFA proudly presents the world premiere of a new documentary from writer/director Michael Maglaras and executive producer Terri Templeton. This will be a triumphant return for the 217 Films team, whose Enough to Live On: Arts of the WPA was shown at VMFA to popular acclaim last year.

The exciting and compelling story covers “America’s Renaissance,” the tremendous outpouring of artistic endeavor that occurred during the time between Abraham Lincoln’s death in 1865 and the death of Mark Twain in 1910. More than 90 high-definition examples of art are shown, including works by John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, Alfred Stieglitz, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens, plus the recently discovered, only known film footage of Twain, taken in 1909. Many marvelous works from VMFA’s permanent collection are also featured.

To learn more and view clips of the film, check out the 217 Films Blog: America Rising: The Arts of the Gilded Age

2-Day Only Exclusive!

Born and raised in the USSR and based in the United States for 20 years, Zoya Gutina is an internationally known jewelry artist. A first-place winner of many design competitions, she is also a veteran exhibitor at various art shows and museums.  Zoya has developed her own unique style of intricate beaded jewelry using Japanese and Czech beads, Swarovski crystals, and pearls as well as a rainbow of semi-precious stones to create accessories that transform any outfit into a show-stopper! Meet Zoya and fall in love with her fabulous festive statement jewelry for all seasons!

VMFA members receive an exclusive discount on all purchases.