Our lovely Spring OLLI Outing will be in Richmond at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA). We’ll enjoy a group tour of the VMFA special exhibit “Whistler to Cassatt: American Painters in France.”
This exhibit is a look at an underexplored chapter of American art which took place not on American soil but in France. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, American artists flocked to France in search of instruction, critical acclaim, and patronage. Some, including James McNeill Whistler, John Singer Sargent, and Mary Cassatt, became highly regarded in the French press, advancing their careers on both sides of the Atlantic.
More than 100 paintings made between 1855 and 1913 will comprise the first comprehensive examination of France's stylistic impact on American painting of the period. From academic training in Paris to exploration of the countryside landscape, Whistler to Cassatt reveals both the visual and conceptual influences of France on American painters in the 19th and early 20th century.
We will ride-share and meet at 1 p.m. for a group tour of “Whistler to Cassatt”, but the rest of the day, including lunch, is on your own. VMFA opens at 10 a.m. Admission to VMFA is free except for special exhibitions. Feel free to have lunch before our tour at Best Café. It is located on the entry level, offers casual fare, and features a wall of windows that overlook a reflecting pool and the Robins Sculpture Garden.
