Childe Hassam (American, 1859–1935) "Winter Nightfall in the City," 1889. Oil on canvas, 25 7/16"H × 33⅛"W is part of the McGlothlin Collection. (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. James W. and Frances Gibson McGlothlin Collection Photo: Katherine Wetzel. © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
Jeffrey Allison gives an illustrated lecture on the American Art Collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, particularly the art donated by Jim and Frances McGlothlin of Bristol, Virginia, Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m., at the Bristol Public Library.
The James W. and Frances Gibson Collection of American Art features artists such as George Bellows, Mary Cassatt, William Merrit Chase, Childe Hassam, Martin Johnson Heade, Robert Henri, Winslow Homer, George Luks, William Rimmer, John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler.
"We have spent the last decade immersed in the world of American art, never suspecting early on that our desire to learn and appreciate this legacy could result in so meaningful a commitment to Virginia," said Jim McGlothlin on the occasion of the announcement of the McGlothlins' gift to VMFA in 2005. "Fran and I envision a long and creative relationship with the museum's leadership, which in recent years has shown a tremendous level of artistic initiative."
The McGlothlins are especially drawn to works dating from the turn of the 20th century to the mid-1920s. Their first acquisition was the 1924 oil "Listening Boy" by Robert Henri. They have collected widely in the intervening years. Their collection has particular strength in the works of famed late-19th-century expatriate painter John Singer Sargent.
The McGlothlins donated their collection of 73 works to the VMFA, which is housed in the new James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Wing of the museum.
Jeffrey Allison, a Saltville, Virginia, native, holds a BA in photography and film from Virginia Intermont College and an MFA in photography from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. He teaches advanced and intermediate photography at the VMFA studio school and has taught for more than 25 years at institutions across the commonwealth.
Allison is the Paul Mellon Collection Educator and Manager of Statewide Programs and Exhibitions at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia. He has curated numerous exhibitions of photography, traveling exhibitions and was a consultant on the Discovery Channel series "Ancient Origins of Native Americans." His awards include the 2010 John Kent Shumate Advocate of the Year. His photographic works are in numerous collections, including Capital One.
