March 26, 2018
The galleries at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts were full of a different kind of art — literature — at the African American Read-In (AARI). This annual event, which occurs during Black History Month, celebrates African and African American art and literature as community leaders read aloud in front of African and African American…
May 31, 2017
Double Vision to close June 3 at Richmond’s Black History Museum An exhibition scheduled to close early next month reflects the growing interaction between the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia. Even the focus of the exhibition—a lifetime retrospective of paintings by the late Murry DePillars…
February 17, 2017
“Three Folk Musicians” is one of the most renowned works by American artist Romare Bearden (1911–1988). Incorporating hand-painted papers and photographs torn from magazines, Bearden’s collages of this period present complex images of African American life from multiple perspectives. Music: “Music Box Rag”, performed by the Heftone Banjo Orchestra
February 16, 2017
VMFA mourns the recent passing of Richmond-born artist Benjamin Leroy Wigfall (1930-2017). When the museum purchased his painting Chimneys in 1951, Wigfall was only 21, the youngest artist to have a work enter VMFA’s permanent collection. Wigfall was interviewed by the museum in 2003 and 2016 and was the subject of a program held at…
August 9, 2016
Kehinde Wiley talks about what it means to have “A New Republic” here in Richmond!
August 6, 2016
Kehinde Wiley was influenced early on by such portrait painters as John Singer Sargent and Barkley Hendricks, both represented in VMFA’s permanent collection. Visit today to see Wiley’s work and the earlier masters who influenced him.
August 3, 2016
In another exclusive VMFA video, Kehinde Wiley talks about his piece “Willem van Heythuysen”, which is in VMFA’s permanent collection! Learn about his process of street casting and referencing portraits from art history.
August 2, 2016
Hear Kehinde Wiley tell the incredible story about how a piece of paper on the street forever changed his life and the direction of his art.
July 25, 2014
As visitors enjoy the final days of VMFA’s powerful companion shows, Posing Beauty in African American Culture and Identity Shifts, they will find a panel in the galleries inviting them to “Continue the Conversation” by visiting two additional exhibitions. Those smaller unticketed shows, States of Change in Africa and Signs of Protest: Photographs from the…
July 24, 2014
When I first saw Question Bridge Black Males, I was shocked by the raw and unapologetic nature of the film. There are no special effects, no music, no over-the-top dramatic storytelling — it’s just real. The viewer is forced to confront the multifaceted realities of being a black male without any sugarcoating. Rarely are there…
