Talks

Roots, Butterflies, and an Angel: New Research on Jean Schlumberger's Bejeweled Phantasmagoria 

Dr. Sylvain Cordier, VMFA’s Paul Mellon Curator and Head of the Department of European Art, will discuss a selection of iconic jewelry and art objects by Jean Schlumberger (French, 1907–1987), sharing insights from his extensive research into the life and work of the artist and designer. This lecture will highlight the wide range of Schlumberger’s creativity, tracing his influences from the Renaissance and Mannerism to the Surrealist movement. It will also place VMFA’s treasured collection of Schlumberger pieces—gathered and generously bequeathed by Mrs. Rachel Lambert Mellon—in its appropriate historical context. 

Curator's Choice Programs are open to all members beginning at the Supporters Circle level. This program will be offered in person and virtually, via Zoom. Click here to register for the livestream. 

IMAGE: Wings Clip, ca. 1951, Jean Schlumberger (French, 1907–1987), gold, platinum, diamonds and sapphires. Photo courtesy of the Tiffany Archives.

In honor of April's designation as National Gardening Month, join Dr. Christopher C. Oliver, the Bev Perdue Jennings Associate Curator of American Art, to discuss three paintings in the permanent collection. We will explore how each artist deploys themes of gardening and horticulture. Works by Charles Willson Peale, Mary Cassatt, and John Singer Sargent instill meaning into the harvest of fruit as the result of cultivation of the natural world.

IMAGE: Child Picking a Fruit, 1893, Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926), oil on canvas. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of Ivor and Anne Massey, 75.18

In honor of April's designation as National Gardening Month, join Dr. Christopher C. Oliver, the Bev Perdue Jennings Associate Curator of American Art, to discuss three paintings in the permanent collection. We will explore how each artist deploys themes of gardening and horticulture. Works by Charles Willson Peale, Mary Cassatt, and John Singer Sargent instill meaning into the harvest of fruit as the result of cultivation of the natural world.

IMAGE: Child Picking a Fruit, 1893, Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926), oil on canvas. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of Ivor and Anne Massey, 75.18

Inspired by Alvin Lester: Portraits of Jackson Ward and Beyond, this program brings together Alvin Lester and several individuals he photographed nearly four decades ago. Their conversation will consider the history, resilience, and continuing evolution of Richmond’s Black business districts. Join us for an evening that reflects on the lasting significance of Jackson Ward and the ways Lester’s portraits continue to illuminate Black enterprise, leadership, and creative community in Richmond.

In the late 1980s, Lester documented community leaders, entrepreneurs, and cultural stewards whose work sustained Jackson Ward and surrounding neighborhoods during periods of economic transition and urban change. Now reunited in conversation, the artist and his sitters will discuss what it meant to be photographed then and what it means to see those images today. 

Lester will be joined by Shakia Gullette Warren, Director of Richmond’s Black History Museum; Janine Bell, Director of the Elegba Folklore Society; Hazel Trice Edney, journalist and founder of the Trice-Edney Newswire; and Neverett Eggleston III, a prominent third-generation business owner.

 To watch from the comfort of home, visit our livestream page.
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IMAGE Hazel Edney, Journalist, Afro American Newspaper (detail), 1989–91, Alvin Lester (American, born 1947), gelatin silver print. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, National Endowment for the Arts Fund, 2025.87. ©️ Alvin Lester

Yorùbá Art Objects in American Museums: Revisiting the Spiritual Presence and Absence Conundrum

Dr. Adéwálé Adénlé, Assistant Professor at the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design at Georgia State University, will discuss the ethical tension surrounding the perceived spirituality in Yorùbá objects housed in American art museums. Does spirituality persist once an object is removed from Yorùbá lands? Or does this displacement leave objects valued primarily for their formal qualities within Western aesthetic frameworks? Using Egúngún regalia and masks as case studies, Adénlé proposes the Indigenous Context Engagement Paradigm (ICEP) to foreground Yorùbá knowledge systems in identifying and interpreting both the discernible and imperceptible dimensions of these objects.

The VMFA Circle Lecture Series is open to all members beginning at the Friends Circle level. This program will be offered in person and virtually, via Zoom. Click here to register for the livestream.

IMAGE: Egungun Mask, 20th century, Unknown Artist, cloth, wood, metal. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Hammer, 92.133