With Lyric Brush: John Chumley’s Valley

This exhibition presents the work of John Chumley (1928–1984), one of the Shenandoah Valley’s foremost twentieth-century painters. Painting from a studio on his farm in Middletown, Virginia, John Chumley immortalized the Valley’s natural and built landscape, its people, and his growing family. His mastery of the realist style and his adept manipulation of light and color resulted in works that elevated the everyday to the exceptional. With Lyric Brush: John Chumley’s Valley presents nearly forty of John Chumley’s works as well as several objects that served as props and inspiration for the artist’s paintings. The exhibition also features works by three of John Chumley’s children who continued the family’s artistic legacy into the next generation. Organized by the MSV and generously sponsored by Valley Health, John Chumley’s Valley is on view in the Changing Exhibitions Gallery through August 6, 2023.

Read the exhibition press release here.

A special selection of prints featuring works by John Chumley are available for purchase in the Museum Store, including several signed by artist (limited supply).