Eda "Edie" Hofstead Cabaniss in Amuse. Photo by Sandra Sellars © 2021 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Richmond, VA—The Virginia Museum of Fine Artsis the recipient of a generous contribution from Eda “Edie” Hofstead Cabaniss. Her gift will support a new wing and second exhibition suite, both spaces that are part of the museum’s current expansion project. The museum’s Amuse dining room and terrace will be named to honor her.
Cabaniss, who is a current trustee and served on the VMFA Foundation Board from 1999 to 2012, said, “I was fortunate to serve on the Board of Directors for the VMFA Foundation when Amuse opened, and it has been consistently fabulous ever since. Like the museum itself, Amuse blends the best of many traditions with a sense of adventure and style.” Amuse restaurant was selected as Restaurant of the Year in 2011 by the Richmond publicationStyle Weekly, just one year after opening.
Cabaniss has long been a supporter of VMFA. Soon after settling in Richmond with her husband, Robert W. Cabaniss Jr., in 1970, Cabaniss received a volunteer placement through the Junior League to provide school children with tours of the museum, including the famed Fabergé collection. VMFA’s Eda Cabaniss Fabergé Galleries, which opened in 2016, were championed by Cabaniss and named in her honor.
“We are extremely grateful to have Edie as a significant donor and supporter of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,” said VMFA Director and CEO Alex Nyerges. “Through her generosity and contributions to exhibitions, Amuse, the Fabergé Galleries and our upcoming expansion, she has helped to make the museum a wonderful experience for all of its visitors.”
Cabaniss served on the VMFA Foundation Board during the museum’s 2010 expansion, helped to launch the expansion of the museum’s exhibition program and sponsored several blockbuster exhibitions including "Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris;" "Fabergé Revealed;" "Chihuly at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts;""Forbidden City: Imperial Treasures from the Palace Museum, Beijing;" "Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style" and, most recently, "Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities."
As a member of the Belvedere Society, a generous group of lifetime contributors, hersupport has also included a major gift to the 2016 Fine Arts and Flowers exhibition, VMFA's 2018Collecting for the Commonwealth/Preserving for the Nation: Celebrating a Century of Art Patronage, 1919–2018exhibition at theWinter Antiques Showand the installation of Kehinde Wiley’s remarkable sculptureRumors of Warin 2019.
“Richmond has such a gem in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,” she said. “With the upcoming expansion, the museum will be able to showcase more of its collections and grow an already exceptional exhibition program. I am delighted to play a part in its next transformation with this gift.”
For more information about the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, visitwww.VMFA.museum.
