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The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk's
waterside gem
by Douglas Forshey
Virginia Business
May 2003
Strolling through the photographic
exhibition of Bob Lerner’s dramatic work, you have
a true sense of experiencing 20th-century history through
the eyes and camera lenses of the famed photojournalist.
Stunning black and white and color prints highlight
Lerner’s 20 years as a leading contributor to LOOK
magazine, where he captured the personalities of major
celebrities and politicians from around the world. Representing
extensive travel to every continent and all 50 states,
Lerner’s work ranks him as one of the most celebrated
craftsmen in his field.
This nostalgic collection
of Americana is on display at The Chrysler Museum of
Art in historic downtown Norfolk and will run through
August. It’s no surprise that the Chrysler landed
Lerner. Besides maintaining a world-renowned permanent
collection of American and European paintings and Tiffany
glass, the museum hosts numerous traveling exhibits
and educational activities. It ascribes to the ambitious
goal of bringing people and artwork together.
Founded in 1939 as the Norfolk
Museum of Arts and Sciences, the facility led a rather
unremarkable existence until 1971, when automobile heir,
industrialist and art collector Walter P. Chrysler Jr.
presented the city with his vast personal collection
of art. At the time his collection was housed in a converted
19th-century church in Providence, R.I., called the
Chrysler Art Museum.
All of that changed when
wife Jean Ester Outland, a Norfolk native whom he met
while serving in the Navy, convinced Chrysler to retire
to the Hampton Roads area. Chrysler’s collection
was rapidly outgrowing the church, and the couple began
looking for a local facility large enough to house the
collection. After visiting dozens of sites, Chrysler
accepted an offer from the city of Norfolk. “What
had been the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences became
the Chrysler Museum,” wrote noted New York Times
art critic John Russell. “And in 1971 he made a
gift that is one of the strongest and most various ever
given at any one time by a single individual to an American
museum.”
Chrysler was a shrewd patron
of the arts. His passion is evident in the wide array
of objects in the collection — thousands of paintings,
sculptures, drawings, decorative art and an amazing
8,000-plus collection of glasswork, including many original
works by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The impressionist gallery
alone offers original paintings by such renowned artists
as Monet, Degas, Renoir, Gauguin, Rodin, and Cezanne
to name just a few.
“The Chrysler is a
wonderful museum,” says Joseph Dye, curator of
South Asian and Islamic Art at the Virginia Museum of
Fine Arts in Richmond. “They have an outstanding
collection of Western European and American paintings,
along with a specialized collection of glass and photography.
They are a real asset to the Norfolk area.”
The Chrysler presents an
average of 15 special exhibitions a year, bringing to
Norfolk outstanding works from around the world. The
next major exhibition at the museum will be “La
Bella Macchina: The Art of Ferrari,” on display
from April 13 through July 20. Since the 1930s the Ferrari
company has designed and produced legendary automobiles,
encompassing a timeless sense of style and sophistication.
The Chrysler presents 12 vintage automobiles from distinguished
American and Canadian collections that represent some
of the most beautiful cars in the world.
Located downtown on a waterfront
site facing the Hague Inlet on the Elizabeth River,
the museum offers a full range of guided tours, lectures,
films, concerts and family days. Membership starts at
$45 for an individual and $60 for a household. Visit
its Web site for membership information and to sign
up to receive an informative monthly newsletter via
e-mail.
Virginia
Business - May 2003
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