Fralin Museum Of Art Receives Major Endowment And Art Gifts At University Of Virginia

The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia has announced two major gifts that will support its curatorial work and expand its permanent collection. The contributions arrive as the university advances plans for a new Center for the Arts, reinforcing the museum’s role in academic and community engagement.

A $3,000,000 gift from Dr. Carol R. Angle will permanently endow the museum’s Curator of Collections position. The endowment is intended to support exhibition development and collections research, strengthening the museum’s capacity to serve students, faculty, and the broader community.

Dr. Angle, a retired physician and researcher based in Charlottesville, spent 45 years at the University of Nebraska Medical Center specializing in pediatrics, nephrology, and toxicology. She has served on The Fralin’s Advisory Board for more than 20 years and previously established both the Angle Exhibition Fund and the Carol R. Angle Academic Curator position.

In addition, Dr. Janet D. Greenwood has donated six works to the museum’s permanent collection, including etchings by Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Albrecht Dürer. The works have already been incorporated into the University Museums Internship program, where students have used them in curatorial training and exhibition development.

“This donation has been an unexpected and entirely transformative addition to this experience. Holding a Picasso in real life and working directly with a Rembrandt has defined my arts education and truly inspired me to carry this momentum with me beyond UVA,” said UMI student Laasya Gadiyaram. Fellow student Christian Han added, “I am deeply grateful for the trust and generosity extended to us in allowing us to take the stories and the artists' telling of them, and to add our own perspective through the process of curating an exhibition.”

Dr. Greenwood, who previously served as president of two higher education institutions and co-founded the Greenwood / Asher Executive Search Company, selected the works to enhance teaching and learning opportunities. Her connection to the university includes a longstanding professional relationship with former UVA President John Casteen.

The donated works are currently featured in an exhibition developed by the University Museums Internship cohort, which opened March 18 and will remain on view through May 31.

Founded in 1935, The Fralin Museum of Art maintains a collection of more than 14,000 works spanning American, European, and global traditions. Located in the Bayly Building on the University of Virginia campus, the museum presents exhibitions, programs, and research initiatives throughout the year and is open to the public free of charge.