Carl Van Vechten Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee – Gallery Review | Condé Nast Traveler

"So, what’s this place about? The Van Vechten Gallery at Fisk University, the historically Black university on the city’s north side, has a world-class collection of art that once belonged to photographer and art promoter Alfred Stieglitz. Stieglitz’s wife, Georgia O’Keeffe, donated a portion of this collection to Fisk on his death. Fisk and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, now take turns exhibiting the collection in its entirety, with it moving back and forth every two years. (Fisk couldn’t afford to maintain the collection on its own, and the agreement kept the spirit of the gift and the collection intact and gave the school the funds to improve its museum to house the works.) It is open to the public as well as university students. How’s the space? The collection is housed in one of Fisk's historic brick architectural gems. The interior has been renovated with white walls, climate systems and everything you would need to exhibit world-class art. The space isn't huge, but it is rare that the crowds are either. The art’s the main thing, of course. How is it? It is amazing to think about the foresight Stieglitz had when he compiled this collection, with works by Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Diego Rivera, Arthur Dove, Gino Severini, and Charles Demuth. When the collection is at Crystal Bridges, though, it's still worth visiting the Van Vechten, which uses its off years to exhibit works from a number of other sources. Fisk has an impressive Harlem Renaissance collection and a long tradition of fostering the arts among its students. The basement level often features works by current students and faculty. Is the staff easy to find? Are they helpful? If you have questions or want a tour, they're happy to help. But if you just want to meditate on your own, that's cool, too. Because the gallery is on a college campus, it's not unusual to catch part of a class lecture going on. At the end of the day, what—or who—is this place best for? This is an absolute must for American art and American history fans. The Fisk campus is beautiful and the gallery small, so it is easy to make it accessible to those who want a quick art fix." - Margaret Littman