Haitian art collection takes center stage in UVA’s Fralin Museum fall exhibitions

The University of Virginia’s Fralin Museum of Art will spotlight Haitian art this fall with “Haiti’s Time,” a major exhibition built from a recent gift of works by Beverly and John Fox Sullivan. Opening Aug. 30, 2025, the show presents paintings, metalwork, assemblages and drapo Vodou — ceremonial flags — by some of Haiti’s most celebrated artists.

The exhibition is the first public presentation of the Sullivan gift since the museum received the collection earlier this year, a moment The Haitian Times previously reported as a landmark addition to UVA’s Caribbean and Africana studies resources.

“Haiti’s Time” showcases 26 works from a collection of over 100, considered one of the foremost holdings of modern Haitian art in the world. Organized around the themes of ‘Historical Time,’ ‘Personal Time,’ and ‘Sacred Time,’ the exhibition invites audiences to consider Haiti through its history, faith, and everyday life. Artists featured include Rigaud Benoit, Wilson Bigaud, Myrlande Constant, Hector Hyppolite, and Frantz Zéphirin.

Karen E. Milbourne, The Fralin’s J. Sanford Miller, Family Director, curated the show in collaboration with Laurent Dubois, John L. Nau III Bicentennial Professor of the History and Principles of Democracy, and Ariel Ankrah, assistant curator at The Fralin.

“We are especially pleased to showcase Haitian art from the Beverly and John Fox Sullivan gift and see our spaces transformed by Pélagie Gbaguidi and Finnegan Shannon. We want to offer our visitors windows to other places and times, and opportunities to see the world we think we know anew,” Milbourne said.

The Haitian exhibit anchors a broader slate of fall programming as the museum marks its 90th anniversary. The Fralin Museum of Art, located in Charlottesville, Va., will open the exhibitions with a media preview on Aug. 25, followed by public access beginning Aug. 30. Admission is free.

“I chose UVA because it is one of the most distinguished universities that is also committed to expanding its horizons and that of its students,” Sullivan said earlier this year about his recent gift of Haitian art to the university.

The collection features paintings by renowned Haitian artists such as Hector Hyppolite, Philomé Obin, and Myrlande Constant, along with metalwork, assemblages, and drapo Vodou, ceremonial flags with spiritual and historical significance.

Other shows opening Aug. 30 include “The World Between: Egypt and Nubia in Africa,” an exploration of ancient cultural exchange across the Nile Valley, and In Feeling: Empathy and “Tension Through Disability,” featuring contemporary artists who reframe lived experiences of disability.

Adding to the lineup is “Excavation and Knowledge,” a large-scale installation by Pélagie Gbaguidi, recipient of Belgium’s Ultima Prize for Art. Her work will weave together connections between Haiti, Brazil, Virginia, and West Africa as part of the museum’s new Commission series.

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