The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond has named Dr. Lisa Brody as its new Jack and Mary Ann Frable Curator of Ancient Art. Dr. Brody, who began her tenure on November 10, 2025, was selected after an international search.
Dr. Brody joins VMFA from the Yale University Art Gallery, where she spent 18 years as Associate Curator of Ancient Art. At Yale, she managed a collection of around 20,000 works covering ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman and Byzantine art.
“I’m delighted that Lisa is joining the curatorial team during this transformative time at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,” said Director and CEO Alex Nyerges. “As the museum’s new Jack and Mary Ann Frable Curator of Ancient Art, she will oversee the display, stewardship and study of the museum’s renowned collection of ancient art, ensuring that these important works of art are shared with our visitors in new and compelling ways.”
At VMFA, Dr. Brody will be responsible for a collection containing more than 1,500 works spanning over 5,000 years. The collection focuses on Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan and Roman art but also includes significant pieces from Western Asia and Nubia such as sculptures in various materials as well as mosaics and jewelry. She plans to work with Karen Daly—Senior Manager of Provenance Research—to review the collection and share provenance information with the public.
“I am thrilled to welcome Lisa as the museum’s Jack and Mary Ann Frable Curator of Ancient Art,” said Artistic Director and Chief Curator Dr. Michael Taylor. “Lisa’s experience in several key areas –– acquisitions, exhibitions, provenance research and scholarly publishing –– make her an exceptional choice for this endowed curatorial position. Our outstanding collection of ancient art is in great hands with Lisa, and I look forward to seeing the acquisitions, exhibitions and permanent collection displays she makes at VMFA.”
Dr. Brody is recognized for her expertise in Roman archaeology. While at Yale she curated both permanent gallery installations focusing on Dura-Europos—an archaeological site now located in Syria—and organized traveling exhibitions using works from Yale’s collections.
She was responsible for organizing Figures from the Fire: Ancient Bronzes from the J. Pierpont Morgan Collection at venues including Bowdoin College Museum of Art (Maine) between March 2023-January 2024; Wadsworth Atheneum Museum (Connecticut), July-November 2024; along with co-curating Roman in the Provinces: Art on the Periphery of Empire (2014–2015) and Dura-Europos: Crossroads of Antiquity/Edge of Empires: Pagans Jews Christians at Roman Dura-Europos (2011–2012).
For five years Dr. Brody has been book reviews editor for American Journal of Archaeology while also contributing essays to scholarly journals on topics such as Syrian textiles discovered at Dura-Europos or Baltic amber beads analyzed through non-destructive methods.
She has presented lectures internationally—including proceedings published by Brepols following a conference she organized about Dura-Europos—and spoken at meetings hosted by groups like Archaeological Institute of America or J.Paul Getty Museum symposia.
Dr.Brody holds a Ph.D.and M.A.from New York University’s Instituteof FineArtswith focuson classicalartandarchaeologyandan undergraduate degreefromYaleUniversity.ShehasalsobeenaffiliatedwiththeAmericanSchoolofClassicalStudiesinAthens,Greece.
“I am delighted to be joining the dedicated team at VMFA and am honored by the opportunity to oversee the museum’s distinguished collection of ancient art,” said Dr.Brody.“I look forward to exploring innovative waysof interpretingandpresentingthiscollectionthatwillcaptivateandengagethemuseum’svisitors.IamexcitedtoworkwithmynewcolleaguestocreateoriginalexhibitionsandprogramsthatwillhighlighttheconnectionsamongancientMediterraneanculturesasreflectedbytheirextraordinaryworksofart.”
VMFA opened in 1936 as oneofthenation’slargestcomprehensiveartmuseums,anditspermanentholdingsspanmorethan50kworksacross6kyears.Inadditiontotheancientartcollection,themuseumhousesmajorcollectionsincludingFabergéobjectsandArtNouveau.Themuseumisopen365daysayearwithfreegeneraladmission.
