The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia was originally the University of Virginia Art Museum, until its renaming in 2012. It occupies the historic Thomas H. Bayly Building, one block from the University’s famous Rotunda.
Walking from the small parking lot to the entrance you will pass by The Fralin’s Little Museum of Art which began during the pandemic when the museum was closed. It consists of six white box miniature galleries which include and highlight the artwork of local and student artists, two of which can be seen here.
Proceeding to the entrance steps you are treated to a nice view of the houses across the Madison Bowl field and the Oriforme, a stainless steel sculpture fronting the museum. The Oriforme was modeled in 1962 by artist Jean Arp (1886-1966) and was provided courtesy of the National Art Gallery in Washington DC. The Oriforme can also be seen in the title photo at top.
After checking in at the desk, the first exhibit of paintings was by Cuban-born American artist Emilio Sanchez. Paintings were listed as “New York Skies,” “New York Crosstown,” “Looking West from My Studio,” and “New York Sky Sunny Day.” Other paintings followed, some of which I had a bit of trouble matching the abstract subject with the titles the artist gave them!
In a room of their own were the works of Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) entitled “Enclosing Infinity.” Cornell is best known for his shadow box art. These boxes contain bric-a-brac that Cornell collected when he wandered through dime stores and old book and newspaper shops in New York City. Harlequin Jumping Jack and the Soap Bubble Set are two of the titles.
Interesting was the Bentwood Box by the master carver Nathan Jackson (aka Yéil Yádi), a Tlingit artist born in Alaska. The Tlingit are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. In the Tlingit language, their name means 'People of the Tides.' Jackson lives in Ketchikan, Alaska and made the cedar box carving from a single piece of wood that was steamed and folded.
Along the stairs to the next floor is a plaster cast of a plaque that hung on the Hotel Langeac on the Champs Elysees in Paris. It commemorates the place and time (1785-1789) when Thomas Jefferson served as the American Minister to France.
There are also some exhibits from antiquity such as “Togatus” (Roman Asia Minor, 50 AD), “The Dream of Queen Maya (Buddha’s Conception)” from 2nd century AD, Greek ceramics from 600-320 BC, and a ceramic horse from China (600 AD).
A few of the medieval items included a 1400’s stone sculpture of St Sebastian from Burgundy, France and a 1400’s Hungarian processional crucifix.
19th and 20th century exhibits from African and Native American tribes/nations came into view next. A helmet mask and female power figure both from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and a Lakota Tribe vest from the Dakotas.
The final gallery exhibits were entitled “Beyond Pictorialism: Early 20th Century Photography and the Fine Arts.” In the early 20th century, photography was considered a means of documenting history and not an artistic expression. However, in 1902 a group of American photographers called “The Photo-Secession” set out to change that by publishing a quarterly journal called “Camera Work” that emphasized individual artistic expression.
Some of the photos published included Henri Matisse, Auguste Rodin, Victor Hugo and Greta Garbo. I really liked Ansel Adams’ “Cemetery Statue with Oil Derricks, Long Beach California” and Judy Dater’s “Imogen and Twinka at Yosemite.”
A couple other important works in this gallery were Matisse’s lithograph on laid paper titled “Interior Reading” and Rodin’s bronze sculpture titled “The Kiss.”
Last but not least was an artistic video by Macon Reed called “All the World Must Suffer a Big Jolt.” It explores the historical executions of women who were deemed witches or rebels. Reed’s hands come in and out of the dioramic space caressing and activating the small sculptures.
Parking is a little tricky and minimal at the museum. The parking lot itself has very few free spaces for visitors; once inside the museum you should register your vehicle. Fortunately, I went on a summer weekend day when UVA was in its recess period. Admission is free and the hours are listed on the photo signage.
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