Sept. 7, 1999

VCU architectural history symposium examines connections between Virginia and Egypt

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The influence of Egypt on Virginia landmarks will be explored during Virginia Commonwealth University’s seventh annual architectural history symposium. "Egypt and Virginia" will be held Sept. 25 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Boulevard and Grove Avenue.

"Egypt is one of the essential sources of Western civilization, and design in Virginia bears witness to this influence," said Charles Brownell, Ph.D., VCU professor of architectural history and symposium director.

From buildings to mirrors, from cemetery markers to stained glass, design in Central Virginia has often reflected the influence of the ancient civilization of the Nile.

Brownell points to the Egyptian Building, a VCU landmark constructed from 1845-46, as "one of the masterworks" of this influence. "Egyptian design is a matter of beginnings and ends. The Egyptian Building represents two beginnings from this ancient nation: architecture and medicine. It stands as a tribute to what this nation accomplished."

The program will feature five scholars who will examine Egyptian elements in architecture and decorative arts from the 18th to 20th century. Presenters and their topics are:

    • Richard Anthony Fazzini, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Egyptian, Classical and Ancient Middle Eastern Art at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, on "Egyptomania in American Architecture." His keynote address will begin at 10:10 a.m.
    • Elizabeth O’Leary, Ph.D., Maymont House guest curator and research associate in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Department of American Arts, on "‘So Celebrated an Antiquity and So Worthy of Our Attention:’ Thomas Jefferson Contemplates Egypt." O’Leary will speak at 11 a.m.
    • Brownell on "Egyptian Influences on the Architecture and Decorative Arts of 19th Century Richmond." Brownell will be joined by special student Leslie Haas to discuss work by VCU art history students at 1:30 p.m.
    • David Park Curry, Ph.D., curator of American Arts at the Virginia Museum, on "Voyages dans l’Egypte: Egyptomania in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts." He will speak at 2:30 p.m.
    • Edwin J. Slipek Jr., architectural critic for Style Weekly and adjunct instructor in the VCU Department of Art History, on "The Egyptian Influence in 20th Century Richmond Architecture." His talk will begin at 3:20 p.m.

The architectural program complements the Virginia Museum’s "Splendors of Ancient Egypt," which continues through Nov. 28. The 200-masterpiece exhibit explores the mysteries of the ancient world.

Co-sponsored by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Valentine Museum and the Maymont Foundation, the "Egypt and Virginia" architectural symposium will be held in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Auditorium. Tickets are available at the museum, Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The cost is $17 for students or Virginia Museum of Fine Arts members and $20 for the general public; a boxed lunch is included. For program details, call VCU’s Department of Art History at (804) 828-ARTH; for ticket information, call the museum at (804) 367-8148.