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Museum Explorer is a recurring feature series on American Nomad digging into fantastic museums from The MET to off the beaten path galleries…This week we’re traveling to scenic Roanoke, VA to tour the fantastic Taubman Museum.
Taubman Museum of Art Facts:
- Located in the heart of downtown Roanoke, VA, just off The Blue Ridge Parkway, The Taubman features one of the best collections of American Art in the southeastern United States. Their permanent collection includes famed works by Sargent, Thomas and Susan Eakins, Thomas Benton Hart, Childe Hassam and more…In addition to their permanent collection, The Taubman has become a go-to destination for traveling exhibitions.
- Designed by architect Randall Stout, the Taubman’s building is striking and other worldly. Words cannot describe this pointed, glass modernist design. It feels like a mountain peak of modern engineering. Visually the building is stunning, although it feels a bit out of place in the otherwise brick, mortar and stone historic downtown district.
- “Stout wanted to honor the naturalistic elements of the Roanoke region. Purposeful use was taken with both the materials and architectural decisions, such as the 77-foot glass peak in the atrium, which recalls the point of the Roanoke Star, and undulating roofline, which reflects the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
- The interior is perfectly designed to highlight the permanent collection and traveling exhibits with a mix of natural and artificial light, educational spaces, a theater and more.
- The museum got its start in a hotel! In 1947, the Roanoke chapter of the American Association of University Women requested an exhibition from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where it was displayed at The Hotel Roanoke for a period of time.
- In 1951, The Roanoke Fine Arts Center became an independent organization and through the years continued to grow and add to their collection. They moved multiple times before ending up at the current location in 2008.
- The museum was renamed in in 2008 to honor former CEO of Advance Auto Parts and US Ambassador to Romania, Nicholas F. Taubman and Mrs. Eugenia Taubman in recognition of their gift in developing the new center.
The Permanent Collection:
The permanent collection includes more than 2,000 works of art including one of the best collections of American art in the southeastern US and beyond.
Highlights in the American art collection includes renowned works by artists including:
- John Singer Sargent (see above)
- Thomas Eakins
- Susan MacDowell Eakins
- Childe Hassam
- Winslow Homer
- Robert Henri (see below)
We also enjoyed learning about a regional favorite Pierre Daura, a Spanish artist who spent time in the mountains of Virginia
The permanent collection also includes amazing pieces of antique furniture and gorgeous regional pottery as well.
Exhibit Hall: Titian to Monet – European Paintings from the Joslyn Collection (Nebraska)
My mother and I made the three hour journey from Raleigh NC to Roanoke VA through winding backroads and sharp mountain curves in a quest to see the Taubman’s latest stellar exhibit – Titian to Monet.
While the Taubman is always worth a visit, I definitely recommend planning a trip to Roanoke to experience this once in a lifetime exhibit. It is one of the best exhibitions I’ve seen and truly gives viewers a taste of a variety of masterpieces from the Renaissance to nineteenth century Impressionism. The Titian to Monet Exhibit will be running through January 8th.
- Roanoke is easily accessible via I-81 and other US/State Byways. They have an airport, conveniently located ten minutes from the museum. Roanoke is only a few hours from DC, Raleigh, Charlotte and other metro areas.
What makes this collection unique: Titian to Monet – is a fabulous assortment of paintings from Omaha’s acclaimed Joslyn Art Museum. The Joslyn is currently undergoing renovations forcing temporary closure of the galleries – this provided the ideal opportunity to tour their permanent collection nationally. The Joslyn exhibit rarely tours, making this a unique opportunity for art lovers.
What I love about this exhibit is the diversity of art, spanning over 500 years and including famed artists like Titian, Veronese, El Greco, Joshua Reynolds, Pissarro, Renoir, Monet and more…
And while big name headliners like ‘Titian’ and ‘Monet’ draw art lovers in, you’ll find yourself meandering the exhibit gallery for hours as you survey the fifty-two unique paintings from across Europe. Words cannot describe the overpowering awe you’ll feel as you stare into the heart of Master of the Johnson Magdalene’s Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John and Two Angels (circa 1500, Florentine) or the bold vivid colors of Renoir’s Young Girls at Piano (1889)
The exhibit is organized to guide viewers on a historical and visual tour of the art – starting with Devotional Art of the Early Renaissance to a shift to the Renaissance and Baroque before you ‘travel’ to the Netherlands for the Golden Age of Dutch Painting; Reason and Romanticism in France and England features thought provoking art by Delacroix and Reynolds…this segues into a section on History and Invention in the Nineteenth-Century and finally Realism and Impressionism in Modern Europe.
If you are familiar with the current flood of immersive Van Gogh and other art experiences – then you will fall in love with the mini-immersive Taubman Experience. A roughly ten-minute interactive animated immersive experience transports you directly into works by Titian, Renoir, Monet and more. I honestly thought the Taubman immersive teaser was better than the Van Gogh Alive we saw last year.
- The curator told me that Virginia Tech students and staff actually designed the Immersive Experience for the Titian to Monet exhibit – they did a fantastic job.
I’ve included a few of my favorites below…you can learn more about the images from the exhibit collection here.
My personal fave:
Don’t wait – you can purchase your tickets for this fantastic exhibit online via this link. We stayed at a Holiday Inn near the airport, but there are several hotels within walking distance of the museum.
Other resources:
‘
Museum Explorer is a recurring feature series on American Nomad digging into fantastic museums from The MET to off the beaten path galleries…This week we’re traveling to scenic Roanoke, VA to tour the fantastic Taubman Museum.
Taubman Museum of Art Facts:
- Located in the heart of downtown Roanoke, VA, just off The Blue Ridge Parkway, The Taubman features one of the best collections of American Art in the southeastern United States. Their permanent collection includes famed works by Sargent, Thomas and Susan Eakins, Thomas Benton Hart, Childe Hassam and more…In addition to their permanent collection, The Taubman has become a go-to destination for traveling exhibitions.
- Designed by architect Randall Stout, the Taubman’s building is striking and other worldly. Words cannot describe this pointed, glass modernist design. It feels like a mountain peak of modern engineering. Visually the building is stunning, although it feels a bit out of place in the otherwise brick, mortar and stone historic downtown district.
- “Stout wanted to honor the naturalistic elements of the Roanoke region. Purposeful use was taken with both the materials and architectural decisions, such as the 77-foot glass peak in the atrium, which recalls the point of the Roanoke Star, and undulating roofline, which reflects the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
- The interior is perfectly designed to highlight the permanent collection and traveling exhibits with a mix of natural and artificial light, educational spaces, a theater and more.
- The museum got its start in a hotel! In 1947, the Roanoke chapter of the American Association of University Women requested an exhibition from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where it was displayed at The Hotel Roanoke for a period of time.
- In 1951, The Roanoke Fine Arts Center became an independent organization and through the years continued to grow and add to their collection. They moved multiple times before ending up at the current location in 2008.
- The museum was renamed in in 2008 to honor former CEO of Advance Auto Parts and US Ambassador to Romania, Nicholas F. Taubman and Mrs. Eugenia Taubman in recognition of their gift in developing the new center.
The Permanent Collection:
The permanent collection includes more than 2,000 works of art including one of the best collections of American art in the southeastern US and beyond.
Highlights in the American art collection includes renowned works by artists including:
- John Singer Sargent (see above)
- Thomas Eakins
- Susan MacDowell Eakins
- Childe Hassam
- Winslow Homer
- Robert Henri (see below)
We also enjoyed learning about a regional favorite Pierre Daura, a Spanish artist who spent time in the mountains of Virginia
The permanent collection also includes amazing pieces of antique furniture and gorgeous regional pottery as well.
Exhibit Hall: Titian to Monet – European Paintings from the Joslyn Collection (Nebraska)
My mother and I made the three hour journey from Raleigh NC to Roanoke VA through winding backroads and sharp mountain curves in a quest to see the Taubman’s latest stellar exhibit – Titian to Monet.
While the Taubman is always worth a visit, I definitely recommend planning a trip to Roanoke to experience this once in a lifetime exhibit. It is one of the best exhibitions I’ve seen and truly gives viewers a taste of a variety of masterpieces from the Renaissance to nineteenth century Impressionism. The Titian to Monet Exhibit will be running through January 8th.
- Roanoke is easily accessible via I-81 and other US/State Byways. They have an airport, conveniently located ten minutes from the museum. Roanoke is only a few hours from DC, Raleigh, Charlotte and other metro areas.
What makes this collection unique: Titian to Monet – is a fabulous assortment of paintings from Omaha’s acclaimed Joslyn Art Museum. The Joslyn is currently undergoing renovations forcing temporary closure of the galleries – this provided the ideal opportunity to tour their permanent collection nationally. The Joslyn exhibit rarely tours, making this a unique opportunity for art lovers.
What I love about this exhibit is the diversity of art, spanning over 500 years and including famed artists like Titian, Veronese, El Greco, Joshua Reynolds, Pissarro, Renoir, Monet and more…
And while big name headliners like ‘Titian’ and ‘Monet’ draw art lovers in, you’ll find yourself meandering the exhibit gallery for hours as you survey the fifty-two unique paintings from across Europe. Words cannot describe the overpowering awe you’ll feel as you stare into the heart of Master of the Johnson Magdalene’s Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John and Two Angels (circa 1500, Florentine) or the bold vivid colors of Renoir’s Young Girls at Piano (1889)
The exhibit is organized to guide viewers on a historical and visual tour of the art – starting with Devotional Art of the Early Renaissance to a shift to the Renaissance and Baroque before you ‘travel’ to the Netherlands for the Golden Age of Dutch Painting; Reason and Romanticism in France and England features thought provoking art by Delacroix and Reynolds…this segues into a section on History and Invention in the Nineteenth-Century and finally Realism and Impressionism in Modern Europe.
If you are familiar with the current flood of immersive Van Gogh and other art experiences – then you will fall in love with the mini-immersive Taubman Experience. A roughly ten-minute interactive animated immersive experience transports you directly into works by Titian, Renoir, Monet and more. I honestly thought the Taubman immersive teaser was better than the Van Gogh Alive we saw last year.
- The curator told me that Virginia Tech students and staff actually designed the Immersive Experience for the Titian to Monet exhibit – they did a fantastic job.
I’ve included a few of my favorites below…you can learn more about the images from the exhibit collection here.
My personal fave:
Don’t wait – you can purchase your tickets for this fantastic exhibit online via this link. We stayed at a Holiday Inn near the airport, but there are several hotels within walking distance of the museum.
Other resources:
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