We visited the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for a special exhibit that focused on the Bruyas Collection from The Musée Fabre at Montpellier, France. The exhibition, debuted in Richmond, was titled Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet! Although the focus of this exhibition was on the relationship between Alfred Bruyas, an art collector, and the 19th century artist Gustave Courbet, there were paintings from Delacroix, Millet, Corot, Cabanel, Glaize; animalier sculptures and watercolors by Barye; and drawings by Delacroix, Ingres, Huet and Rousseau.
In conjunction with the touring exhibition Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet! Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) organized an exhibition on Van Gogh and Gauguin titled Van Gogh and Gauguin: An Artistic Dialogue in the South of France. On December 1888 Van Gogh and Gauguin traveled 50 miles from Arles to Montpellier to see the private collection of Monsieur Bruyas. Gauguin had seen the exhibition once before, but it was the first time for Van Gogh. Although the exhibition inspired both of the artists their differences in their views of art caused them to argue about the pieces. Gauguin argued "paint imagination," while Van Gogh argued "paint experience." Their paths separated after Van Gogh cut his ear off, but their different views on art and life had already severed their relationship. There are scripts from Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo about the exhibit and the pieces, as well as, his relationship with Gauguin. There is a model of the yellow house they lived and worked together. The pieces in the exhibition were loaned from many different museums in US and abroad.
Both exhibits are a must see for any art lover. The exhibits were very informative and inspiring to the artists and regular folks alike. It took me more than two hours to see both exhibits and during those two hours I was transferred to France in the 19th century. Even after two days my mind wonders back to exhibition and I still think about the pieces I saw and the descriptions I read. The entry fee for the exhibition is $7 for adults, $4 for kids and students with ID.