At the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond

Can't get to the museum? Explore the VMFA's collection with these videos and essays

Some background

videos + essays

Jean Schlumberger, <em>Columns</em> and <em>Sphere</em>
Jean Schlumberger, Columns and Sphere

Using precious stones, metals, and enamel, jewelry designer Jean Schlumberger created these extremely exuberant artifacts.

On looking closely: Giorgio Morandi, <em>Still Life</em>
On looking closely: Giorgio Morandi, Still Life

This extraordinarily simple painting raises fundamental issues of how we see, how we describe, and even of the history of art.

Alfred De Dreux, <em>The Emperor’s Horse</em>
Alfred De Dreux, The Emperor’s Horse

This portrait of Napoleon III’s favorite horse tells an important story of art theft and repatriation.

Camille Pissarro, <em>The “Royal Palace” at the Hermitage, Pontoise</em>
Camille Pissarro, The “Royal Palace” at the Hermitage, Pontoise

In this landscape of the town Pontoise, Pissarro emphasizes the modest people that make up its rural community.

Berthe Morisot, <em>Young Woman Watering a Shrub</em>
Berthe Morisot, Young Woman Watering a Shrub

Morisot's loose brushstrokes and abstracted forms transform an ordinary scene into a incredible work of Impressionist painting.

Edgar Degas, <em>Little Dancer Age Fourteen</em>
Edgar Degas, Little Dancer Age Fourteen

In subject and form, Degas breaks away from academic tradition and instead creates a sculpture that reflects modern Paris.

Tshibumba Kanda Matulu, <i>Le 30 juin 1960, Zaïre indépendant</i>
Tshibumba Kanda Matulu, Le 30 juin 1960, Zaïre indépendant

In a series of 100 paintings, Tshibumba Kanda Matulu tells the history of Zaïre, or present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Tshibumba Kanda Matulu, <i>Le 30 juin 1960, Zaïre indépendant</i>
Tshibumba Kanda Matulu, Le 30 juin 1960, Zaïre indépendant

In a series of 100 paintings, Tshibumba Kanda Matulu tells the history of Zaïre, or present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Sari Dienes, <em>Star Circle</em>
Sari Dienes, Star Circle

A plaster cast of a manhole cover from the streets of Manhattan is a testament to this artist's experimental use of materials.

Jasper Francis Cropsey, <em>Mount Jefferson, Pinkham Notch, White Mountains</em>
Jasper Francis Cropsey, Mount Jefferson, Pinkham Notch, White Mountains

Summer, autumn, a saw mill all provide metaphors about American republicanism in this pre-Civil War landscape

Hedda Sterne, <em>Number 3—1957</em>
Hedda Sterne, Number 3—1957

Stripes of industrial spray paint on this canvas recall the industrial city and undersides of highways