Two VMFA exhibits to close, travel internationally during museum’s expansion

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Two exhibits typically featured at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) will be temporarily unavailable as the museum expands. They will instead travel internationally while construction takes place.

Beginning on Tuesday, May 13, the Lewis Collection Mid to Late 20th Century Art Galleries, as well as the Lewis Collection Art Deco and Art Nouveau Galleries, will be temporarily closed.

The current homes of these galleries will be impacted by the VMFA's upcoming expansion and renovation project, according to a May 6 press release. To ensure these works of art remain safe, they will be removed from the VMFA and travel internationally.

"The temporary departure of works near the construction area will ensure their continued safety and make way for the museum’s transformation to begin," said VMFA artistic director and chief curator Michael Taylor in the release.

The Lewis Collection Mid to Late 20th-Century Art Galleries at VMFA, as of 2022. (Photo: Sandra Sellers/VMFA)

Taylor said that the galleries' first temporary home will be the Auckland Art Gallery in New Zealand.

This highly anticipated expansion will add a new wing to the VMFA, the approximately 173,00-square-feet "McGlothlin Wing II." It will also include a 500-seat special events space, a café and a bar.

MORE: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts looking forward to largest transformation in its history

Existing parts of the VMFA will also be updated. Per the press release, about 45,000 square feet of existing gallery space in the museum's 1936, 1970 and 2010 wings will be renovated. This will be highlighted by about 5,500 square feet of photography gallery space and about 7,000 square feet for the Raysor Center for Works on Paper.

This expansion and renovation project is expected to be completed by 2028.