University of Virginia’s Fralin Museum gifted major Haitian art collection to expand Caribbean studies

The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia has received a major donation of Haitian art, adding to the university’s Caribbean and Africana studies resources, the museum announced on March 4. The gift, from John Fox Sullivan and the late Beverly Knight Sullivan,art enthusiasts and members of the Haitian Art Society (HAS),  includes about 100 works, making it one of the most significant collections of modern Haitian art in the U.S.

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.

Included in the gift are 70 paintings by internationally acclaimed Haitian artists such as Hector Hyppolite, Philomé Obin, and Myrlande Constant, along with intricate metalwork, assemblages, and drapo Vodou—Haitian ceremonial flags with spiritual and historical significance. The collection is meant to serve as a key resource for scholars and students while introducing the broader public to Haiti’s artistic traditions.

To support the collection, a dedicated endowment has been established to ensure its upkeep, study, and display.

“[This gift] will greatly enrich our Caribbean and Africana studies programs and, importantly, serve as a vibrant resource in our community while expanding appreciation for Haitian culture,” said Fralin Director Karen E. Milbourne, in a statement. 

“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,” John Fox Sullivan said, who also serves on the board of HAS. “The team’s energetic commitment to taking an expansive view of integrating our collection with its supporting archives, not only at The Fralin but also with the whole academic program, was compelling to me.”

A decades-long passion for Haitian art

John and his late wife Beverly, first forged a connection to Haitian art back in 1977, when they visited Haiti for the first time. 

Over the next four decades, they returned more than 25 times, acquiring works and selling Haitian artwork to help support the nonprofit organization Eye Care, Inc., that built and is managing seven ophthalmology clinics in Haiti and training doctors.

“It is an obsession, sort of an addiction,” Sullivan said in a 2023 interview about his expansive collection. 

For nearly 40 years, John was a Washington D.C.-based magazine executive serving as president and publisher of National Journal, The Atlantic, and several other “inside the beltway” political publications. 

After moving to Washington, Virginia, he served as mayor from 2010-2018. 

Beverly Knight Sullivan passed away in June 2024. In addition to her appreciation of Haitian artists and her charitable work, she served as a docent for 20 years at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. 

“When we first went to Haiti, we had no idea we would collect the art,” John said. “We didn’t know what it was. But we thought Haiti was magical.”

In August, Milbourne, UVA Professor Laurent Dubois, and Assistant Curator Ariel Ankrah will host an exhibition titled Haiti’s Time, curated from the gifted collection that explores Haitian art through three thematic lenses: “Historical Time, Personal Time, and Sacred Time.”

The donation builds on the Sullivans’ prior contributions to major institutions. In 2023, they gifted twelve paintings to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., which are currently on display in Spirit and Strength: Modern Art from Haiti.

The post University of Virginia’s Fralin Museum gifted major Haitian art collection to expand Caribbean studies appeared first on The Haitian Times.