December 22, 2024

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Four Important Loans Coming to Belmont

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Gari Melchers (American, 1860-1932) Rainbow, Circa 1925, Oil on canvas, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia

Gari Melchers (American, 1860-1932) Rainbow, Circa 1925, Oil on canvas, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgi

Four paintings by Gari Melchers, including three never before seen publicaly at Belmont, will be featured in the upcoming spotlight exhibition Over the Garden Gate: Gari Melchers’ Falmouth, scheduled for October 5 through December 2, 2018.

Thanks to generous loans from private collectors and the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia, the loaned paintings—Gossips, Pear Tree in Blossom, Pot Hunters, and Rainbow—will be combined with a select group of images drawn from the collection at Gari Melchers Home and Studio and which reproduce local settings and villagers long familiar to natives of Falmouth, Virginia.

Joanna Catron, who curates the show, says that “while Melchers saw Virginia as an escape from the demands of his New York studio, the picturesque environs of his home and nearby Falmouth were too seductive to allow for much rest.” The result was dozens of evocative images that chronicle a simpler time and place.

The exhibition is Included with Museum admission. Contact: Joanna Catron at or 540 654-1841.

Gari Melchers Home and Studio

Paris-trained American painter Gari Melchers (1860-1932) is celebrated today at his 18th-century estate called Belmont, now the Gari Melchers Home and Studio, a nationally-recognized site featuring his fully furnished house, gardens and studio. Discover his legacy of portraits, landscapes and scenes of everyday life, the largest collection of his works anywhere. An expatriate for the first half of his career, Melchers eventually returned to America as WWI built up in Europe, dividing his time between a commercial studio in New York City and his country retreat in Falmouth, VA.

Gari Melchers (American, 1860-1932) Rainbow, Circa 1925, Oil on canvas, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia

Gari Melchers (American, 1860-1932) Rainbow, Circa 1925, Oil on canvas, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia

Guided Tours are available everyday with the exception of certain holidays from April through October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and November through March 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Admission: $10 Visit www.garimelchers.org.

 

New Security Measures at Gari Melchers Home and Studio

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Effective Sept. 1, the Gari Melchers Home and Studio in Falmouth, Virginia, will be closed to the general public between the hours of
5 p.m. and 10 a.m.

This restriction encompasses parking, photography, hiking, picnicking and any other activities on museum property during the hours specified. Gates at the museum’s entrance will be locked at 5 p.m., and grounds will be under video surveillance. Museum-sponsored programs and approved rental events that occur outside of regular hours will continue, supervised by museum staff.

“Restricting access to the museum’s buildings and grounds outside of regular operating hours is a necessary measure to ensure security of property and human safety,” said Scott H. Harris, executive director of University of Mary Washington Museums. “We look forward as always to welcoming visitors during our regular hours to discover the life and work of a noteworthy American painter and arts advocate.”

The Gari Melchers Home and Studio is a 28-acre estate and former residence of the artist Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne. The property, which is operated by the University of Mary Washington, is both a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. For more information, including hours of operation, admission rates, special events, and more, visit http://www.GariMelchers.org.