As the largest art museum in southwestern Virginia, the Taubman Museum of Art serves as the region’s premier destination for world-class arts and culture. Founded in 1951 as the Roanoke Fine Arts Center, the Museum now resides in a landmark facility designed by renowned architect Randall Stout and named one of the nation’s best designed museums by Architectural Digest.
The 77-foot glass peak in the atrium recalls the point of the Roanoke Star, and the undulating roofline reflects the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Museum’s collection focuses on American art and includes more than 2,200 works with twelve galleries.
The outdoor mural is by John Bramblitt who is the first blind person in the world to work on large-scale outdoor murals.
Below, a selection of some of the works I enjoyed!
Portrait of Mrs. George (Norah) Gribble (1888)
Norman Rockwell (1946)
Snake Handlers by Fred Webster (1989)
Blue Bird Radio by Walter Dorwin Teague (1934)
Resting Souls by Howard Finster (1987)
portrait of Jane Eleanor Sherman Lacey and Her Son Edward (1860)
Art World 1990 by James Harold Jennings
Untitled/Undated by Antoinette Hale.
Seven Deadly Sins by Rob Hite (2007)
Lady with Red Glasses by Mary Jane Burtch (self portrait, 2001)
Portrait of Mary and Elizabeth Macdowell by Susan Macdowell Eakins (1879)
The Curtsey by Antoinette Hale (1996)
Oops! by Jacob Cress (1997)
Snakes and Ladders by William Hamilton Rutherford (undated)
And, finally, Judith Leiber’s designed couture women’s accessories. Leiber was raised in a Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary and immigrated to the United States in 1946.
Admission to the museum is free. Parking is nearby in parking garages, on the street or at nearby venues. At the visitor’s desk, the attendant gave me a coupon to scan at the Towers Garage which allowed me to leave free of charge at the automatic exit (which was a pain to get close enough to the machine without hitting my car mirror.)
Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. The museum is closed Monday through Thursday. Hours Friday and Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM and Sundays 12 -5 PM. The museum is at 110 Salem Avenue, Roanoke, VA 24011.
Awesome museum and great story!