August 12, 2010 — The University of Virginia Art Museum will host a "Final Friday" reception Aug. 27 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy refreshments and the exhibitions "Man Ray, African Art, and the Modernist Lens" and "African Art: Beyond the Modernist Lens." The former exhibition is on view through Oct. 10 and the latter until Dec. 23.

"Man Ray, African Art, and the Modernist Lens" brings to light photographs that Man Ray (1890-1976) made of African objects between 1921 and 1939. The exhibition reveals the role of photographs in elevating the status of African artifacts in Western eyes from ethnographic objects to works of fine art, while simultaneously securing a place for photography as a modernist art form.

A companion exhibition, "African Art: Beyond the Modernist Lens," examines the way African art is currently perceived and displayed in Western museum settings.

Admission to Final Friday is free for museum members and U.Va. students, thanks to Arts$. A $3 admission fee is charged to non-members.

Free parking is available at Culbreth Road Garage and in the A6 parking lot, next to Madison Bowl on Rugby Road.

The U.Va. Art Museum is open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For information, visit here.