Picasso Exhibit at the VMFA (March 5,2011)

Special day, in that my wife Patty made the trip up from Charlotte, NC to spend the weekend here. Always fun to take her out and show off this unique city, and we have a fun two days planned. Yesterday, we had tickets to the Picasso exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. That is one of my favorite places to visit in Richmond, and I have been a number of times. Normally free except for special events (such as the Picasso exhibit) tickets ran $20 each to see the works of this remarkable artist. The display covered all the different periods and styles he worked in during his long and very productive life. The crowd came from all over the US.
I noted the diversity of the crowd and had a lot of time to do that, because the line (as seen in the photo at left, and only partly seen at that, as it was much longer) took a good solid hour to get to the exhibit. Still though, as promised heard a number of languages in the crowd, and met some interesting people. As Patty noted in the course of the day, and I have a number of times, Richmond crowds and people are among the friendliest that we have come across in a number of places. It was a very fun event, and we enjoyed checking it out and can suggest it as an interesting thing to see. Unless you get to Paris, France where these are displayed; you may never see its like again!
Of course, the museum is normally free (and still is if you want to bypass Picasso) with just hours and hours of interesting things. Patty and I wandered and saw many (but not all) items in the museum such as this marble fixture which was in a garden in India around the mid-1700's. There is a wide variety of things to see at the VMFA and we enjoyed our visit there. I have posted a few more photos on the photo page from our visit there. The museum also have a very good web site with more information on the museum, as well as info on the Picasso display. That will be in Richmond for a limited time, and I believe this is the only city on the east coast showing it.
Following the museum, we stopped for food, refreshment, and some fine music at the Cary Street Cafe, located not far from the VMFA. One of my favorite places to stop and found by me not long ago, it is a nice place with friendly people. I like the vibes there, and have always have a very good time. Said to be "Richmond's oldest Hippie Bar", it is a fun place to relax, kick back, and enjoy yourself with some fine people.
Spent the rest of the afternoon exploring some around Church Hill and downtown seeing some of the sights. Patty noted that she enjoys seeing the older buildings in Richmond, which is not just a rare but nonexistent sight in Charlotte. It was a very fun and interesting day, and we had a great time, with another day to come this afternoon!