The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia’s state art museum, emerged from Judge John Barton Payne’s 1919 gift of 50 paintings and was formally established in 1932 with state funding and Works Projects Administration support during the Great Depression. Its original building opened on January 16, 1936, on Richmond’s Boulevard, helping shape the city’s Museum District. Known for a broad collection spanning ancient, African, American, Himalayan, and British sporting art, the museum is especially noted for the Lillian Thomas Pratt Fabergé collection. Under director Leslie Cheek, Jr., it became a nationally recognized cultural center through building expansion, innovative exhibition programs, and a major performing arts role.