VMFA Exhibits Highlighted at 'Art at Happy Hour'

Enjoy Art at Happy Hour with a free self-guided tour of the exhibits, Nightfall: Prints of the Dark Hours and Artists as Art: Photographic Portraits on Thursday, April 18 from 5 – 7 pm at Piedmont Arts.

“Art at Happy Hour is a fun way to experience Piedmont Arts exhibits,” said Director of Exhibitions and Marketing Bernadette Moore. “The event is low-key and casual, encouraging guests to view the artwork up close, ask questions and learn more about the exhibits.”

Featuring prints by artists such as Rembrant and Edward Hopper, Nightfall explores evocative artistic images of night, called nocturnes. Luminous apparitions of the divine, dazzling fireworks, lamplit urban streets, and the soft glow of twilight upon natural landscapes are among subjects that have intrigued and challenged printmakers across the centuries. These powerful images invite us all to contemplate the heightened moods, feeling and enigmatic experiences that night awakens in art.

Artists as Art features photographs of fine artists, writers and performers taken throughout the 20th century. Annie Leibovitz snaps a vivid image of Talking Heads singer David Byrne, Robert Frank immortalizes Beat poet Allen Ginsberg hugging a tree and Barbara Morgan captures modern dancer Martha Graham as she stretches her body into a dramatic form. These images convey more than a mere likeness of the artists portrayed. Instead they highlight the collaboration between photographer and subject while tracing the evolving styles and functions of photography.

Nightfall and Artists as Arts are on loan from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

A Woman’s Best Friend, featuring pet portraits by Bettie Bowles, will also be on display in the museum’s Lynwood Artists Gallery.

Art at Happy Hour is free and open to the public. Complimentary refreshments provided by the Piedmont Arts Guild.

Nightfall: Prints of the Dark Hours, Artists as Art: Photographic Portraits and A Woman’s Best Friend will be on display at Piedmont Arts through April 27, 2019. Exhibit admission is always free.