Page Bond Gallery in Richmond, Virginia opens Ryan McGinness: Art History Is Not Linear, works based on the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) tonight, April 1, 2011. The exhibition features over 200 drawings McGinness made that were derived from the VMFA's permanent collection.

The Gallery writes, "After three years developing his iconic drawings, McGinness built a series of paintings by meticulously layering the drawings in acrylic paint. These works are from the same body of work as the museum's commission for the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Wing. The museum's 16-panel painting was acquired in 2009 with the National Endowment for the Arts Fund for American Art."

As you can see below, the work has a new-media feel with a time-traveller's guide to various cultures and icons. As McGinness notes, "Culture is a multi-dimensional network that feeds and builds upon itself in a mashup that transcends time. My idea for this body of work was to use the VMFA's permanent collection as source material for new works that would then become part of that same permanent collection, thus forcing it to fold in on itself."


















Ryan McGinness
Art History Is Not Linear
April 1—May 7, 2011
Page Bond Gallery
Richmond, Virginia