Façade of A. A. Anderson Gallery of Art c. 1930s.

Colonel Anderson’s interest in the City of Richmond grew out of his love of aviation. Byrd Airport was established on his property. Colonel Anderson envisioned Richmond as an art center; and for that reason he gave $10,000 to RPI (Richmond Professional Institute) for an art gallery. At the time, RPI had acquired the Ginter Mansion and its stable had not been used in many years. It was decided by the administration and Colonel Anderson that Ginter Mansion’s stable would become the art gallery.

Architectural Rendering of the A.A. Anderson Gallery of Art c. 1930.

The property’s renovation was made possible by Colonel Anderson’s donation of $10,000 and an additional $24,000 given by the citizens of Richmond. In 1930 Colonel Anderson said "I vision a wonderful future for Richmond as an art center; the cities of the country will soon look to her with pride. If in my small way by word or work, I can help Richmond to achieve this noble result, I shall consider that I have not lived in vain."

In converting the stable to a Gallery, the only exterior change at first was in the doors. The hayloft (second floor), which had high ceilings, was made into an art gallery. The first floor was made into a library all at Colonel Anderson’s suggestion.

Colonel A. A. Anderson c. 1900s.

The Gallery/library opened in 1931 and was called A. A. Anderson Gallery of Art. The opening featured an exhibition of Colonel Anderson’s paintings. The gallery held many exhibitions during the 1930s and served as Richmond’s only art museum until the Virginia Museum opened in 1936. As RPI grew, the A.A. Anderson Gallery of Art was used more as a library than a gallery coinciding with the end of WWII and the dramatic increase in RPI’s attendance. It then became known simply as the Anderson Building.

Several additions changed the façade of the A.A. Anderson Gallery of Art; in 1939 a third story was built and used as art studios and in 1947 a fourth floor was added. Coinciding with the opening of the James Branch Cabell library in 1970, the building, under the persuasion of the arts faculty was returned to its original founding mission as an art gallery and became the Anderson Gallery, the Museum of the Arts for VCU.

Anderson Gallery’s Mission
The Anderson Gallery is the Museum of the Arts for Virginia Commonwealth University and is a part of the School of the Arts of VCU. Since 1971, the Anderson Gallery has become one of the most important venues for contemporary art in the Southeast. In addition to presenting exhibitions focusing on important movements among national and international artist of today, the Gallery is also known for its extensive permanent collection. Our primary role is education, serving as a resource to students, faculty and the greater Richmond community.

Information was obtained from various archives at the Anderson Gallery as well as from James Branch Cabell Special Collections and Archives file.

-- Amy G. Moorefield
Asst Director and Curator of Collections
Anderson Gallery