VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS RECEIVES DONATION OF ENGLISH SILVER

FIFTY DAZZLING WORKS OF ART IN ENGLISH SILVER HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BY COLLECTOR RITA R GANS OF NEW YORK, SIGNIFICANTLY ELEVATING THE STATURE OF THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION. VMFA DIRECTOR ALEX NYERGES CALLS IT 'THE MOST IMPORTANT AND FABULOUS GIFT OF ENGLISH SILVER IN MEMORY IN MANY YEARS TO ANY MUSEUM IN THE WORLD'. 'THIS ADDITIONAL GIFT, WHEN UNITED WITH THE 102 WORKS OF ART ALREADY IN THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS' JEROME AND RITA GANS COLLECTION OF ENGLISH SILVER, MEANS THE COLLECTION IS ARGUABLY THE BEST OF ITS KIND IN AMERICA. WHEN THE NEW GIFT IS INSTALLED, THE GALLERY WILL BE THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ITS KIND ON VIEW IN THE US', NYERGES ADDED. THE SILVER IS THE LATEST GANS GIFT THAT RANGES IN DATE FROM 1440 TO 1845. THE LARGEST PORTION IS FROM THE GEORGIAN PERIOD, WHEN LONDON'S SILVERSMITHS LED EUROPE IN SKILL AND INNOVATION. GANS' EARLIER GIFTS, IN 1997, 2001 AND 2006, ESTABLISHED VMFA AS A PRIME DESTINATION FOR SERIOUS SCHOLARS OF BRITISH SILVER IN AMERICA. AFTER THE DEATH IN 1996 OF HER HUSBAND, GANS ANNOUNCED THAT SHE WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO COLLECT, BUT SHE QUICKLY RELENTED. HER GIFT THIS YEAR OF AN OUTSTANDING GROUP OF OBJECTS, PURCHASED BY GANS BETWEEN 1997 AND 2009, BRINGS A NEW DEPTH TO THE COLLECTION. VMFA WILL OPEN A NEW GALLERY DEVOTED TO THE GANS COLLECTION IN SEPTEMBER.