Collections : [Virginia Museum of Fine Arts]

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

VMFA Archives
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Margaret R. and Robert M. Freeman Library
200 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23220-4007
Primary Collecting Areas:
VMFA institutional records, Donor papers, Virginia Artists Archives, Oral histories, Artist subject files, Analog, and digital audiovisual collections
Description:

The Margaret R. and Robert M. Freeman Library provides access to a wealth of rare and unique primary source materials for scholars, researchers, and the public.

The Archives consists of a diverse and growing collection of permanent materials, covering museum history from its beginnings in the 1930s until today. The Archives includes institutional records from over 25 museum departments, thousands of artist and subject files, as well as donated collections related to the museum and the history of art in Virginia. The Archives also recently launched the Virginia Artists Archives, a collecting initiative that aims to create a rich, diverse, and unprecedented collection of Virginia artists’ papers to increase awareness about the contributions of Virginia artists, both past and present.

POC: Roxanne Winfield
Phone: (804) 340-1497
Phone: (804) 340-1495
Start Over Repository Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Date range 1890 Level Series

Series 1: Early Arts Organizations' Exhibitions 5 items 1 Folder

This series is comprised of exhibition catalogs from various shows presented in Richmond and sponsored by different arts organizations from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in the decades before the revival of the Richmond Academy of Arts in 1930. In 1888, the statewide "Virginia Exposition" was held at the fairgrounds in Richmond and mainly showcased artifacts of historical significance. Judge John Barton Payne donated his entire painting collection to the state of Virginia in 1919, which formed the core of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' collection when it was founded. The Virginia League of Fine Arts was the successor to the Virginia League of Fine Arts and Handicrafts, and merged with the Academy just two years after their "First Municipal Art Exhibition of Richmond" in 1928.

  1. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
  2. Records of Virginia Arts Organizations (SC-03)

Content Warning

ARVAS is an aggregator of archival resources. ARVAS does not have control of the descriptive language used in our members’ finding aids.

Finding aids may contain historical terms and phrases, reflecting the shared attitudes and values of the community from which they were collected, but are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical or mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

Many institutions and organizations are in the process of reviewing and revising their descriptive language, with the intent to describe materials in more humanizing, inclusive, and harm-reductive ways. As members revise their descriptive language, their changes will eventually be reflected in their ARVAS finding aids.