Art Museum Doors & artist Dumile Feni (10MARCH22)

Posted on by Prior...

Hello readers, this week’s doors are from the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. A post from last weekend (here) also had images from that museum visit. Today’s post has the doors and then a little highlight about artist Dumile Feni. 

Oh and if you didn’t know yet – and if you are interested – Priorhouse had a short story featured over at the Always Write blog – HERE. The short story is about a man, Marcel, who cut a figurative ball and chain from his ankle in order to improve his life. It is a story about Marcel taking a strenuous hike to see a sunset from the summit and then coming away refreshed. 

Now, let’s move on to the doors. 

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1) No access right now 

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2) Glass to the left, wood to the right 
3) Do you see the orange chairs? I have a lot of memories with those orange chairs. The museum used to have about 20 of them in the corridor (before COVID) and when we had college field trips, we would sit on these chairs and discuss the objectives.  Other times we had classes sit on the patio, near the Chihuly glass art, called the red reeds.
4) Love the symmetry in this down view.
5) Do you see the marble sculpture (bust) in the upper center? That is from artist Dumile Feni. I was first introduced to this beautiful bust, in 2018, when I took a college class on a field trip and we took the “faces” guided tour.
6) Artist Dumile Feni.

“Dumile Feni made emotionally charged drawings, paintings, and sculptures that portrayed South Africans’ lives under the oppressive apartheid regime, earning him the epithet “Goya of the townships.” Feni’s life almost exactly coincided with the apartheid era, and he sought to raise consciousness of the struggle Black South Africans faced for freedom and democracy. He represented South Africa at the 1967 São Paulo Bienal, and though his art was openly critical of the government, Feni was denounced by several artists for representing the country at an international exhibition. His participation in the show also made him a target of the authorities; he fled to London in exile the following year. Feni then made a living designing album covers and creating book illustrations for the rest of his life. He continued to make art and exhibit his work until he died – in a record store, in 1991.” Source 

7) Untitled, ca. 1980s, Dumile Feni – This bust shows a man’s face that has a swollen eye and cheek. It is of a man who was beat up and it can be very haunting to view.  This culture-rich artifact also shows the distinctive facial features Dumile portrayed in much of his work.

  • Did you like the doors from the museum?  Glass doors are a modern marvel, eh?  They let so much light in and feel invisible (like Wonder Woman’s airplane)

  • Did you like learning a little bit about artist Dumile Feni? If you go here you can see some more of his work, including some pieces that are for sale. 

  • Did you know Feni said he had more than 30 names over the years (ten minute interview with Feni is here). I have had a few nicknames, but no more than five or six? What about you – how many names have you had over the years?

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Linked  to Thursday Doors

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41 thoughts on “Art Museum Doors & artist Dumile Feni (10MARCH22)”

    1. Thanks so much, Derrick and I like how you said “noble” because that fits !
      And cheers to artists like Feni who use their art to advocate, raise awareness, and try to bring about change

      Liked by 2 people

  3. Great photos. I knew nothing about Dumile Feni – so thank you so much for that. The interviews are fascinating – uncut as they are, with the interviewer getting him to say things again so she can get what she wants in the edit. I felt for him – but he kept going back to being his own self. So revealing in a brief glimpse. I watched the second one too and it stops abruptly. I wanted it to go on …

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Maria / you went and watched the videos? Right on!
      I also loved how raw and unedited they were because it truly does show more of his personality that way! That was clever of them to put the snippets out like that – and I also agree with you that the cut off left us wanting it to go on…
      Thanks for joining me with this post
      ☀️😊

      Liked by 1 person

  4. I read your sweet story over at Marsha’s.
    I was interested in the desk in #4. It seemed a little out of place to me, especially with the hooded character.

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    1. Hi Norah – the desk actually is the perching point for an armed security guard – and that perch was in place before the pandemic and likely has to do with protecting the fine art because the door is right there. That remind me – the kanas city airport is currently having a huge remodel and when we were there last year – they had armed guards at the many doors that align the exit area – truly a poor design and especially bad for security but was nice when security was less of an issue.

      Anyhow, I think that is why the guard is there and it doesn’t feel out of place to us because we see him there all the time…

      and thanks for reading the Story Chat entry – I appreciate your time and will reply over at the Always Write blog.
      🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Okay. Security. That makes sense. I didn’t think of that. Of course, we have security too, but they’re not always at a desk. I guess it was the angle and the hood that threw me.

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  5. I wonder what Jordan and Thomas Sanders think about the door to their gallery being off limits. No doubt they spent big bucks to have their names put on that gallery. Where’s the return on investment with that! Didn’t know about Feni, but his art and story are interesting.

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    1. Hi Ally, glad to introduce you to Feni (and thought you would enjoy that he had 30 nicknames over the years – because I think you and Zen Den might have had a handful as well?)
      And regarding the Jordan and Thomas Sanders area being shut down – not sure if it for a remodel or cleanup because the RED Reeds (glass art) out back is under construction and it looked like some spring cleaning was going on
      🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I love it when you join us for Thursday Doors, Yvette. I love the doors, the art, the history and information and the wonderfully entertaining nature of your blog. Thanks for joining us.

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    1. Hi – glad to join in this week – and Dan, I love how you offer the link the day before so
      we can schedule the post and use the most current post of yours to link with – I know that was your goal with putting it up there on your blog and it really worked for me (even though I made a mistake with the scheduling time and this was supposed to come out later in the day on Thursday – either way – I think it worked out)
      and thanks again for hosting –
      wishing you a nice rest of your day

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Read your story, and I like the way you used setting (nature) as the catalyst to change. Marcel’s discovery is one for all of us. The photos here are grand.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. I didn’t know anything about Feni, so that was interesting. I like the downward view you shared and I agree that glass give a feeling of spaciousness but I do like “real” doors as well. 🙂

    janet

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    1. Hi Janet – I like both doors as well – and depends on the space and needs, eh?
      Also, when we visited the museum recently – we looked at three things (otherwise the trip can be overwhelming) so a quick trip to see European art from 1700s – which ws on the way to Faberge eggs – and then made our way to Feni’s bust
      have a great day

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Virginia has some wonderful museums! We visited one back in the 90’s when the weather was too stormy to go to the beach. They are fortunate to have that artist’s work. Is it a permanent display?

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    1. Hi – I think this is part of their permanent collection, but they do rotate a lot of art so who knows
      🙂
      thanks for checking out this posy

      Liked by 1 person

  15. It really is interesting that pics of doors are so fascinating. I see door pics all over the blogosphere. Wooden, rustic ones are generally my faves.
    Interesting about that artist. Is it weird that it makes me happy that he died in a record shop? That seems poetic and how he would have liked to go.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Yvette – I like the glass doors which look modern, especially with that bright-colored chair to the left, but I also like the view looking down, especially of the bust – its light color in the semi-dark area seems to glow.

    Liked by 1 person

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