Highlights from excellent Virginia Museum of Fine Arts pt 1

Imperial Rock Crystal Easter Egg with Revolving Miniatures, Faberge, 1896; in 1996, VMFA was 1 of 5 major American museums to present Fabergé in America; this exhibition, featuring 400+ objects and 15 imperial Easter eggs, drew 130,000+ visitors

Chloe, Jaume Plensa, 2016; Plensa distorted Chloe's profile by compressing its depth and so viewers will experience unexpected shifts in perspectives as they move (the surface reflects light—adding a glittering, otherworldly dimension)

House at Dusk, Edward Hopper, 1935; the work was purchased by the museum in 1953 for $4000; 16 years earlier the artist had served as a juror in the museum's first biennial exhibition

Two Windows, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1912; these windows were part of a larger set designed for a children's playhouse; the bright, primary colors drew from Wright's fond memories of parades as a child

Punch Bowl with Three Ladles, Tiffany, 1900; among the most important pieces designed by Tiffany's, this punch bowl was displayed at the Paris World's Fair of 1900 where Louis Comfort Tiffany won a grand prize and was awarded the French Legion of Honor

14th Street, Bumpei Usui, 1924; born in Nagano, Japan and raised on a silkworm farm, Usui was a member of the Precisionist school which took as their primary subject the simple geometric forms of machines and urban life

Brideship, Thomas Hart Benton, 1928; this painting depicts an episode from the early 1620s when 147 women were shipped from England to serve as brides for the first lonely settlers in Virginia

Lamp, Boston and Sandwich Glass Co., 1865; a masterful example of 19th century glassmaking, this 26 lb lamp required incredible technical skill to create the colors as well as the delicate carving

Antioch Mosaics, late 2nd century-early 3rd century AD; once part of a hallway floor, I was so impressed by these mosaics from Antioch in present-day Turkey (the Baltimore Museum of Art has 28 large pieces too)

Cigarette Case, Faberge, 1899; so many of the amazing Faberge pieces didn't photograph well; in 1960, the VMFA was the first in the US to introduce night hours at an art museum

The Abundance of Nature, Severin Roesen, 1855; this is the largest known canvas from Roesen who emigrated from Germany; he is considered the leading practitioner of still-life painting in mid-19th century America

L'Aperitif, William Glackens, 1926; am I the only one that thinks the subject here looks like Boy George?; the work highlights the harshness of urban life as the woman is smoking and drinking by herself

SLAB, Richard FIEND Jones, 2021; customized cars known as SLABs (slow, loud and banging) emerged from Houston in the mid-1980s and by the 1990s had become a legitimate urban art form

Buffet, Louis Majorelle, 1904; I was very impressed by the Museum's collection of Art Deco and Art Nouveau pieces; as a fan of both, I had not realized that the museum had special collections in these areas

Vase, Tiffany, 1895; in the midst of the Great Depression, on January 16, 1936, Virginia’s political and business leaders bravely demonstrated their faith in the future and their belief in the value of art by opening the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Daily Devotions, Sara November, 1944; this NY native moved to Richmond in the 1920s and was active with the VMFA; she came up with the idea for the Artmobile (like a Bookmobile with art)

Interior: Two Chairs and Fireplace, Mickalene Thomas, 2011; this painting is unusual for the artist since there is a setting without a figure; the rich profusion of patterns plays on Matisse’s paintings

Temple Hanging, Tibetan, early 20th century; this hanging, full of emblems of abundance and auspiciousness, would have once enlivened the interior of a Buddhist temple or entrance hall, perhaps hung in front of a large altar

Lamp, Eileen Gray, 1923; Gray was an Anglo-Irish furniture designer and a pioneer of the Modern Movement in architecture; her most famous work is the house known as E-1027 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France

Chair, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1930; Wright designed Tokyo's Imperial Hotel (and its furnishings, like this chair) at the request of the Japanese aristocracy to cater to the increasing number of Western visitors to Japan