Browse through 5,000 years of history revealed within Norfolk’s Chrysler Museum of Art. The collection’s nearly 30,000 objects include European and American art, photography, exceptional glassworks and ancient art from Africa, Asia, Egypt, Pre-Columbian and Islamic cultures.
See European art including Rodin’s Age of Bronze life-size sculpture and Reichlich’s Last Judgment, along with works by Renoir, Gauguin and others. Copley, Cole and Homer are among the American artists represented. Art from the ancient world is particularly popular with children.
Look for modern works by Matisse and Hopper. Compare and contrast Man by Gaston Lachaise, created in the 1930s, with Renoir’s earlier sculpture. Pollock, Rothko and O’Keeffe are among the contemporary artists shown. Decorative arts and photography provide even more exhibits to round out an outstanding collection.
The Glass Studio across the street is a museum highlight, with educational and hands-on opportunities. Come for a glassmaking demo any day at noon. Once a month, the glass workshop hosts Third Thursday events with live music, drinks and performance art in the making of unique glass items. Sign up for a class in glassblowing, flameworking, kilnworking or stained glass. Send your kids to the week-long Camp Chrysler art education workshop.
Have lunch at Wisteria, the museum’s café, which offers alfresco seating next to Mary’s Garden. Purchase creative gifts at the Museum Shop. Check the website to select from numerous special events, including panel discussions, lectures, preschooler art and stories, visiting artists in the Glass Studio and dance lessons. On many weekends, the museum hosts Historic House tours at two homes constructed in the 1790s.
Visit the museum during the day on Tuesdays through Sundays. Ask for information from gallery hosts, dressed in light blue blazers. During the Halloween season these hosts don one-of-a-kind costumes to match their favorite artworks. General admission to the Chrysler Museum of Art is free. Pay a fee to participate in the evening Third Thursday events in the Glass Studio.
Norfolk’s Chrysler Museum of Art is in a convenient downtown location. Walk outside to the Hague waterway and gaze back at the pretty museum building filled with treasures.
