Expanded Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to Open May 1, 2010

VMFA Will Be Only U.S. Venue for Significant Louis Comfort Tiffany Exhibition

Richmond, VA –The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is putting the final touches on a large-scale expansion that will add some 165,000 square feet to its pre-existing 380,000 square foot building, placing it among the top ten comprehensive art museums in the United States. After almost five years of construction, the museum will celebrate its re-opening May 1.

Tiffany: Color and Light, one of the most significant exhibitions ever mounted of works by the master of American glass, Louis Comfort Tiffany, will debut at VMFA May 29. Richmond is the only city in the United States to host the exhibition. Now in Paris at the Musée du Luxembourg, Tiffany: Color and Light will be on view at VMFA through Aug. 15 (It will also be seen at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Feb. 11 through May 2.)

Conceived by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and organized in collaboration with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Musée du Luxembourg, Tiffany: Color and Light celebrates the work of the renowned designer who achieved original and spectacular effects in hand-blown glass vessels, leaded glass windows and lamps. VMFA lent 14 important works to the exhibition.

“Richmond is an ideal venue for Tiffany: Color and Light,” said Jack Berry, president and CEO of the Richmond Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau (RMCVB). “Visitors will be amazed by the collection as well as the examples of Tiffany’s work that span throughout the Richmond region. We are thrilled to showcase the newly expanded Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and our vibrant arts community.”

Visitors to the expanded VMFA will be captivated by the triple-height Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Atrium, a "main street" that will connect the new building to VMFA’s two existing wings and open onto a library, museum shop, café, and galleries. A 40-foot-high glass wall overlooking the Boulevard will signal the purpose of the museum from the outside by showcasing works of art and revealing public activity within. The 3½-acre E. Claiborne and Lora Robins Sculpture Garden will partially cover an innovative parking deck tucked beneath a terraced, landscaped slope designed for recreation and viewing outdoor performances.

The special-exhibition galleries in the new James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Wing will allow VMFA to accommodate almost any traveling show. The Tiffany exhibition will inaugurate the new space and is among a series of major international exhibitions coming to VMFA. The exhibition schedule is below. Details can be found at http://mediaroom.vmfa.museum/exhibitions.html. To keep up to date on VMFA’s expansion, visit http://www.vmfa.museum/expansion.html.

“AMERICAN ART FROM THE MCGLOTHLIN COLLECTION”
May 1, 2010–July 18, 2010

“GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST ART FROM THE FISCHER COLLECTION”
May 1, 2010–July 18, 2010

“MATISSE, PICASSO AND MODERN ART IN PARIS”
May 1, 2010–July 25, 2010

“TIFFANY: COLOR AND LIGHT”
May 29, 2010–August 15, 2010

“JUN KANEKO”
July 17, 2010–February 27, 2011

“DARKROOM: PHOTOGRAPHY AND NEW MEDIA IN SOUTH AFRICA SINCE 1950”
August 21, 2010–October 31, 2010

“AMERICAN QUILTS: SELECTIONS FROM THE WINTERTHUR COLLECTION”
October 9, 2010–January 2, 2011

“SALLY MANN”
December 11, 2010–March 7, 2011

“FIRST HAND: CIVIL WAR DRAWINGS FROM THE BECKER COLLECTION”
December 11, 2010–March 28, 2011

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ABOUT THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts houses a remarkable permanent collection of more than twenty thousand works of art from almost every major world culture. Especially noteworthy are the museum’s collections of Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Modern and Contemporary American art donated by Sydney and Frances Lewis; French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art and British sporting art given by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon; American art acquired through the J. Harwood and Louise B. Cochrane Fund; The Lillian Thomas Pratt Collection of Fabergé jeweled objects; and The Jerome and Rita Gans Collection of English Silver. The museum’s holdings of South Asian, Himalayan, and African art are among the finest in the nation. The Grand Opening of the expanded and transformed VMFA will be May 1, 2010. Because of construction, all galleries are currently off view, and the VMFA Shop and Arts Café are closed.

 
ABOUT RMCVB
The Richmond Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau (RMCVB), the official destination marketing and tourism organization for the Richmond Region, is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the Region to meeting planners, tour operators and leisure travelers. RMCVB operates three Visitor Centers located at the Greater Richmond Convention Center downtown, the Richmond International Airport and Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Hanover County.

More than 5.7 million people visit the Richmond Region annually, contributing more than $1.8 billion to the local economy. Tourism generates more than 26,000 jobs in the Richmond Region. For more information, visit www.VisitRichmondVA.com.