In Focus (Galleries)

            This past weekend I visited the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia.  The museum boasts an impressive permanent collection as well as a few special exhibitions.  One really great aspect of the museum is that it contains several focus galleries; one gallery is situated off of the main atrium of the museum and the other two are within the European and Mid to Late Twentieth Century sections.  Focus galleries are great ways for people, perhaps somewhat unfamiliar with museums and artwork, to have an initial, non-overwhelming, introduction to art. 

Jean Schlumberger Focus Gallery

The initial focus gallery off of the atrium is comprised of two rooms and presently contains artwork from a singular artist, Jean Schlumberger.  Schlumberger began his career designing costume jewelry for Elsa Schiaparelli and then transitioned into making “objets de lux” – real jewelry and decorative objects, the latter of which are on display at the VMFA.  The second focus gallery within the Mid to Late Twentieth Century section contains an exhibition entitled, “Apocalypse: Monumental Paintings of the 1980’s” and is a large room with three massive canvases on each wall.  This exhibition is dedicated to three artists emerging in aftermath of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal.  These two exhibitions demonstrate that focus galleries can either be used to provide an introduction to a singular artist and a facet of his or her work or to a certain style or era of art in which a few artists are emphasized.

Objets de Lux by Jean Schlumberger

The benefit and attraction of having a focus gallery in a museum is quite evident.  A focus gallery contains only a few pieces of artwork, which allows for visitors to fully digest and appreciate the work that they are seeing. Having a focus gallery also addresses Adam Gopnik’s claim in Mindful Museum that visitors only have a certain amount of energy to expend on viewing artwork.  Walking into a room with only a couple of pieces of artwork on view psychologically indicates to a visitor that it is unnecessary to rush through and merely glace at each work; that there is time to take in each work individually.  A focus gallery is also ideal for someone who only has a certain amount of time to spend at the museum.  Instead of running though trying to hit all the big names, a visitor is able to leisurely stroll though a room filled with either a carefully selected portion of the museum’s permanent collection or a presentation of newly acquired artwork and is still afforded a fulfilling museum experience.