American Art

This contemporary art collection, comprising more than 450 works, came to LCVA through the generosity of Jackson L. Blanton, a native of Tamworth in Cumberland County. Blanton retired in 2003 from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond as vice president and community affairs officer, a role in which he promoted economic development in underserved communities. In addition, he developed the bank’s fine arts program and served as curator of its art collection, which includes more than 1,000 artworks.

The collection is eclectic and includes the work of a variety of Virginia artists, along... SEE MORE

"What a strange thing is memory, and hope; one looks backward, the other forward; one is of today, the other of tomorrow. Memory is history recorded in our brain, memory is a painter, it paints pictures of the past and of the day."--Grandma Moses

Marion Forgey Line has often been compared to Grandma Moses[1]; and like Moses she is considered to be a memory painter. Indeed, Moses and Line seem to be kindred spirits as they both paint luminous pictures of life in the country and family stories. Their vantage point is high above their scenes -- all seeing and all encompassing... SEE MORE

The American Art Collection currently contains more than 400 works. The collection originated with nine Thomas Sully works given by Jeanne Sully West of Buckingham County, Virginia in 1971. Mrs. West was a direct descendent of Thomas Sully (1783-1872), one of America's most important portrait painters. Other works in the American Art Collection consist of paintings, works on paper, sculpture and decorative arts. Among others the collection includes work by Thomas Sully, James McNeill Whistler, Robert Rauschenberg, Gene Davis, Anna Hyatt Huntington, Lilly Martin Spencer, Sam Maloof, John... SEE MORE

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