THE GREAT WAR: Printmakers of World War I
July 28, 2014 – November 10, 2014
This exhibition marks the centenary of the start of World War I—July 28, 1914—which involved more than 40 nations before the conflict ended on November 11, 1918.For the first time, efficient, mechanized, and chemical weapons—a horrific product of the growing industrialization of Europe—barraged soldiers and civilians from land, air, and sea, producing an unprecedented nine million casualties and devastation.
Rather than presenting a chronology of events, this exhibition focuses on how artists—many of whom witnessed combat firsthand as official War Artists—represent the moods and transformative experiences particular to this global conflict. The European and American printmakers included here created an invaluable visual record of the war as conducted on the frontlines and the mobilized home front.
The role of art (particularly prints) in telling the story of and conveying the emotions brought on by World War I, is told through through 28 prints by British and American artists such as Muirhead Bone, Kerr Eby, Childe Hassam, James McBey, and Claude Shepperson. All of the prints come from the Frank Raysor Collection, a promised gift to the museum. Curated by Dr. Mitchell Merling, Paul Mellon Curator and Head of the Department of European Art.
This exhibition is dedicated to all who have been affected by war.
About the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
VMFA’s permanent collection encompasses more than 33,000 works of art spanning 5,000 years of world history. Its collections of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, English silver, Fabergé, and the art of South Asia are among the finest in the nation. With acclaimed holdings in American, British Sporting, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist, and Modern and Contemporary art – and additional strengths in African, Ancient, East Asian, and European – VMFA ranks as one of the top comprehensive art museums in the United States. Programs include educational activities and studio classes for all ages, plus lively after-hours events. VMFA’s Statewide Partnership program includes traveling exhibitions, artist and teacher workshops, and lectures across the Commonwealth. VMFA, a certified Virginia Green attraction, is open 365 days a year and general admission is always free. For additional information, telephone 804-340-1400 or visit www.vmfa.museum.
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