September 20, 2011
Eric Burns will speak at VMFA Sept. 30, Friday, on the topic of his book The Smoke of Gods: A Social History of Tobacco. After his talk, there will be a book signing and then the movie Coffee and Cigarettes will be shown. This event complements VMFA’s Xu Bing Tobacco Project exhibition. Mr. Burns was…
September 8, 2011
Where Does the Dust Itself Collect? An installation by Xu Bing In this award-winning installation, Xu Bing explores the boundaries between the physical and spiritual realms, between impermanence and eternity. The Bodhi (True Wisdom) is not like the tree; The mirror bright is nowhere shining; As there is nothing from the first, Where does the…
August 22, 2011
Faberge Revealed is truly a spectacular exhibition of more than 500 objects, and what better way to illuminate these jewels than with fiber optic lighting systems. Fiber optic lighting, unlike fiber optics for telecommunications, transmits light from a light source at one end, through many strands of fiber, and out through focused fixtures which we…
July 22, 2011
“When the last piece gets attached, something will click,” Tristin explained to our installation team standing around the whale’s naked substructure. At that point we were still focused on filtration systems in its belly, but Mocha Dick’s massive musculature was already attracting a crowd at the window.Over the course of the week, we’ve tied to…
July 21, 2011
We’ve all seen a mummy before, whether it was Tjeby at VMFA, or on a late-night horror flick when we were kids. I have always been fascinated by the mummies I’ve seen on display at countless museums across the country and also the mysterious stories in books and films. I never once believed that I…
June 24, 2011
Yes, it’s unabashed marketing but this month’s Art in America contains a work of art by Argentinian artist Rirkrit Tiravanija. Read about this in Real Clear Arts. Arts blogs are always fascinating to read. We always welcome suggestions of good ones to follow. –Suzanne Hall
June 23, 2011
Did you know that the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is the only art museum in the U.S. open 365 days a year? Did you know that more than 700,000 people have come through the doors of VMFA in the last year? Did you know we have two upcoming special exhibitions, Fabergé Revealed in July…
June 17, 2011
On Friday, June 17th, VMFA will present a Virginia premiere of an unconventional and compelling documentary film/video: a woman like that (2010, 93 min). Several mysteries should be solved. Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653) was one of the first female artists to achieve recognition in her own time, the Baroque era. Her work is mentioned often in…
May 26, 2011
Practically from the moment I arrived in Richmond, people asked me “Whatever happened to the mummy?” They didn’t remember his name – Tjeby – or when he was from (First Intermediate Period) but they all vividly remembered how he was displayed: you walked up a long ramp lined with Egyptian art, turned 90 degrees and…
May 25, 2011
If there is one iconic image that signifies “Cinema” it is Charlie Chaplin in his Little Tramp costume shuffling down the road into the sunset. It is a form that has taken on logo status as an all-telling symbol of motion pictures. This figure, spanning many generations, means MOVIES. As the first international super star…
