The Twentieth Century presented society with a long list of incomprehensible situations and events, beginning with World War I. Acting as a buffer between the horrors of reality and individual’s perceptions of the world, art helps to inform, explain and educate society, but it can also be used to change people’s perceptions. In August 1914,…
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Art Goes to War: The Tragedies of Franz Marc and August Macke
When World War I broke out in August 1914, many German Expressionist artists initially believed it could be the apocalyptic event that would at last overthrow the self-satisfied materialism of the nation’s monarch and bourgeoisie. Franz Marc and August Macke, two of the leading artists of German Expressionism, were among those who enlisted for active…
Request ProgramIntended & Unintended Meanings of the American Monument
The moment of the unveiling of a public monument marks the end of a process. The need for commemoration was felt, an artist engaged to express the idea, and the means found to bring the project to realization. Whatever the intended meaning, once in the public eye an installation acquires its own history. The interpretation…
Request ProgramIn The Round: Sculpture in America
This presentation is designed to create a greater aesthetic understanding and appreciation of sculpture in America. We will delve into sculptural works of art across eras and genres, forms and subject matters, and methods and materials of American sculptors.
Request ProgramArmchair Travel: How to See England Without Leaving the U.S.
Love to visit England, but hate the jet lag? Then let Executive Director, Anne Kenny-Urban, lead you through a tour of “England in America”. From the comfort of your seat, travel from Connecticut to Nevada in search of English architectural treasures, like Agecroft Hall, that have made the journey from the Old World to the…
Request ProgramForbidden City
This program explores imperial rituals, court painting, family life, and religion in the Forbidden City, home to 24 of China’s emperors from the Ming (1368-1644) through the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Utilizing selected objects from the Palace Museum, Beijing, in addition to works from VMFA’s permanent collection, this talk explores the visual and cultural landscape established…
Request ProgramCongo Masks: Masterpieces from Central Africa
This program will explore the practice of masking as it appears across the vast and culturally diverse Congolese region of Central Africa, where masks function as performance objects, works of art, educational tools, and ritual objects of devotion. Utilizing selected objects from VMFA’s Congo Masks: Masterpieces from Central Africa exhibition, masks will be examined and…
Request ProgramSpirit Photos, Fairy Photos and the Comfort of Belief
“The series of incidents set forth…represent either the most elaborate and ingenious hoax ever played upon the public, or else they constitute an event in human history which may in future appear to have been epoch-making in its character.” This quote by Arthur Conan Doyle could just as easily apply to the spirit photographs of…
Request ProgramPencil and Powder: Combat Artists of the Civil War
“A total disregard for personal safety and comfort; an owl-like propensity to sit up all night; and a hawky style of vigilance during the day.” These were the qualities possessed by the Special Artists of the “Bohemian Brigade.” During the Civil War, the art of photography was still in its infancy. The long exposure times…
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