On Saturday September 30th we drove to Norfolk to visit The Chrysler Museum of Art. It
was founded in 1933 as the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences. In 1971,
automotive heir, Walter P. Chrysler Jr. (whose wife, Jean Outland Chrysler, was
a native of Norfolk), donated most of his extensive collection to the museum.
This single gift significantly expanded the museum's collection, making it one
of the major art museums in the Southeastern United States. From 1958 to 1971,
the Chrysler Museum of Art was a smaller museum consisting solely of Chrysler's
personal collection and housed in the historic Center Methodist Church in
Provincetown, Massachusetts. Today's museum sits on a small body of water known
as The Hague.
We spent about 4 or 5 hours there and had a nice lunch at
their restaurant. Greg had a salmon cake sandwich and I had the crab cake
sandwich. YUM! Both came with hand-made potato chips.
The museum meanders from room
to room as you are taken through the art styles of the ages. It has around 30,000 objects and it spans over 5,000 years of world history. American and
European paintings and sculpture from the Middle Ages to the present day form
the core of the collection.
The museum's most significant holdings include works by
Tintoretto,
Édouard Manet, Auguste Rodin, Paul Gauguin, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Claude Monet and Edgar Degasas as well as works by distinguished local artist
Stoyven.
The Museum also
houses one of the world's greatest collections of glass (including outstanding works
by Louis Comfort Tiffany), distinguished holdings in the decorative arts, and a
fine and growing collection of photography. The arts of the ancient world,
Asia, Africa, and Pre-Columbian America (particularly Maya ceramics) are also
well represented.
It was an enjoyable day and I took a few photos.
MLK Monument in town
The Museum
Gelato stop on the way home
Tomorrow we are taking the day off. It's supposed to be colder than today. (a cold front came through, but it should warm up by Tuesday)
Looked like an interesting museum, more to my taste than Steve's.
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