About The Fralin

History

The Permanent Collection
The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia maintains a collection of approximately 13,000 objects in support of our mission. The Fralin exhibits American and European painting, works on paper, and sculpture of the 15th-20th centuries; art from the ancient Mediterranean; Asian art; Native American art. Highlights of the collection of modern paintings, sculpture and works on paper include American figurative art and photography.

Temporary Exhibitions
Each year the Museum presents a selection of exhibitions drawn from the collections and sources nationwide. A new print gallery now allows for the comprehensive study of the Museum's major holdings in prints, drawings, and photography; the new object study gallery will provide space for research into ethnographic holdings— African, Native American, Oceanic, and pre-Columbian art—as well as artifacts from the ancient Mediterranean world.

History
The Thomas H. Bayly Memorial Building, which houses the Museum, opened its doors in March 1935. Designed by then-Dean of Architecture Edmund S.Campbell, the building was financed by a bequest from Evelyn May Bayly Tiffany in honor of her father, a University graduate. In its early years, the Museum received several important works of art, including 17th century French and Flemish tapestries, two Rodin sculptures, and Frederic Church's Natural Bridge, Virginia. The Museum was closed for the duration of World War II and reopened in 1946, renewing a schedule of temporary exhibitions.

From the early 1960s until 1972, faced with academic space shortages, the University changed the building's function to house art and architecture classrooms. In 1973, with completion of the new architecture school, the University extensively refurbished the Museum, reactivated its programs, and appointed both a director and curator. Since reopening in 1974, the Museum has hired a core professional staff and built a broad collection with a number of special strengths, through gift and purchase.

A changing exhibition program complements the collections, enriches art and interdisciplinary initiatives at the University and in the community, and offers students opportunities to work with