Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Richmond, Virginia
The museum was housed in a 1936 limestone and brick neo-Georgian building and three later additions, none of which followed the stylistic details or proportions of the original. By adding more than 45,000 SF of new gallery space, the west wing allows visitors to more fully engage with the art on display and with each other.
Location
Richmond, Virginia
Sector
Arts
Service
Interiors
Client
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Status
Completed
Size
90,000 SF
Together with outdoor gathering spaces, the addition strengthens the existing museum campus and creates a dynamic environment for cultural growth, education, and entertainment. The overall building design accommodates two vastly different aspects of the museum’s collections of paintings and decorative arts through the use of raised panels, coves, materials selection, and other architectural elements while still using consistent structural, mechanical, and electrical systems.
A central hall serves as the museum’s point of orientation and provides visitors with a sense of warmth and richness. Airy, loft-like spaces accommodate the changing installation of large-scale artworks and decorative art objects from the Sydney and Frances Lewis collections.
