Less than 1 mile from our Fan District bed and breakfast, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts houses a collection of artifacts from India that easily ranks among the nation’s top five Indian public collections. The associated Himalayan collection, with both Tibetan and Nepalese items, is in the top three! Clearly this is one of the best-kept secrets. The collections strained the former space allotted to them (about 3,500 square feet) bursting it at the seams. When the new expanded museum opens May 1, 2010, the collections will be displayed in nearly 8,000 feet, as well filling a glass-walled Himalayan sculpture gallery. In addition to garnering more space when the museum re-opens, in the past 30 years, the collection has grown from 159 objects to 550 spanning over 3,000 years, including a 19th century white-marble garden pavilion. For more detail how curator Joseph M. Dye III accomplished this feat, see this article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
More importantly, make your plans today and reserve your room at the William Miller House Bed and Breakfast, our Richmond inn, so you can check out the expanded museum after May 1. You’ll be treated to a hearty gourmet breakfast every morning to tantalize your tastebuds and stick to your ribs for a full day of sightseeing as well as all the fabulous collections of VFMA. If you can’t wait, join us now – there’s plenty to see and do even though the museum is closed for its expansion construction.
Tags: Indian and Himalayan artifacts, Lodging, Richmond Bed and Breakfast, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
