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Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Archives
Margaret R. and Robert M. Freeman LibraryEmily Johnson, VMFA Assistant Archivist
The collection is subject to all copyright laws. Upon donation, Peacock assigned to the VMFA Archives all of his available rights of copyright in the materials. Transmission or reproduction of other materials protected by copyright, beyond that allowed by fair use, requires the researcher to obtain permission of copyright holders.
The collection is open for research. One folder is restricted and an unrestricted copy is located within the collection. Access to restricted materials may require written permission of the donor and/or the VMFA Director.
The collection was donated to the VMFA Archives by Rubin Peacock in January 2022.
Rubin Peacock Artist Archives (VA-08). Gift of Rubin Peacock. VMFA Archives, Richmond, Virginia.
In general, during processing, all publications are removed and added to the VMFA Library's holdings. Original newspaper clippings are photocopied, with photocopies being integrated into mixed material folders and originals being retained in their own folders. Original folder titles are retained, when provided.
Rubin Clifton Peacock
Born: September 8, 1941, Winston-Salem, NC
Rubin Peacock is an American sculptor whose works have been inspired by nature, ancient civilizations, and his Catawba Indian ancestry. Rubin's works are largely abstract with an emphasis on humanity's relationship with nature and the permanence of creating art with bronze.
Rubin Peacock began his career as a percussionist with a traveling rock and roll band in 1960. Using the money he earned from his music performances, Rubin pursued a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Georgia in Athens, graduating in 1965. Upon completing his undergraduate education, Rubin went on to join the Peace Corps as an art teacher from 1965-1967, teaching students at Camp Cobbla in Jamaica and creating a scholarship for two of his students by selling his sculptures in an exhibition at the Bolivar Gallery in 1967.
After taking a brief hiatus in which he traveled throughout Central and South America to study art, Rubin returned to the United States to continue his education, graduating with a Masters of Fine Arts from Richmond Professional Institute - now Virginia Commonwealth University - in 1969. Rubin established himself in Virginia in 1969 with the purchase of an abandoned house called "Marlboro" that he transformed into the Aylett Art Foundry, buying his 303 Brook Road Richmond studio and gallery in 1985. Rubin regularly experimented with different modes of expression through bronze and exhibited his artwork in a variety of galleries, including his own.
Rubin has been commissioned by institutions such as The Carpenter Co., the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Gunston Hall, the National Cathedral, the National Electronics Museum, and numerous private collectors, and has exhibited in galleries such as VMFA, 1708 Gallery, the Chrysler Museum of Art, Mickelson Gallery, the Sande Webster Gallery, and Sarasota's Modern Art Gallery, among others.
Sources: Collection materials; "Rubin Peacock: 50 Years of Bronze Sculpture" by Rubin Peacock
The collection documents the life and artwork of Rubin Peacock. The collection's inclusive dates are 1945-2021, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1960s-1990s. The collection contains correspondence, ephemera, negatives, photographs, publications, and other manuscript material.
The collection is organized into 3 series, and items are generally arranged chronologically within each series. Items with no date are generally placed at the end of each series.
This series contains film, photographs, and slides that document the production of Rubin Peacock's artwork from 1966-1986. Included in this series are photographs of sculptures such as America's Gateway, Ancestral Terrain, Ancient Arroyo, Kanawha Landscape, Pentangle, Querceta, and early works made of stone and aluminum, and locations such as the Aylett Art Foundry and 303 Brook Road.
This file contains 20 photographs and 1 slide of early stone and aluminum works, sculpture production, and Rubin's studio.
This file contains 6 frames of film and 169 photographs documenting Rubin's bronze production for sculptures such as America's Gateway, Ancestral Terrain, Pentangle, and Winged Stele, among others.
This series contains film, photographs, publications, slides, and a flash drive that document Rubin Peacock's artwork from 1969-2017. Included in this series are sculptures such as Ancestral Terrain, Block Bronze with Four Points, Courtyard Model for Three Point Bronze, Cube Series, Flaming Teepee, Obtuse Triangles, Opposing Forces, Pentangle, Reflections on the Past, Seraphic Visitor, Sphere Series, Swayed Hegemony, The King's Fool, Triad, Wedged Stele, and Winged Stele, among others, and locations such as the Cary Hill Sculpture Gardens, the Chrysler Museum of Art, and the Aylett Art Foundry.
This file contains 27 photographs, 1 oversized photograph, and 43 slides featuring sculptures such as Butterfly Chief, Seraphic Visitor, Swayed Hegemony I, and The King's Fool, among others.
This file contains 33 photographs and 1 document featuring sculptures such as Reflections on the Past and Block Bronze with Four Points, among others.
This file contains 1 photograph that features Cardplaying Duck.
This file contains 248 photographs, 30 frames of film, 19 slides, and 5 documentary materials that feature sculptures such as Ancestral Terrain, Ancient Arroyo, Querceta, Triad, Wedged Stele, and Winged Stele, among others.
This file contains 18 photographs and 2 documentary materials that feature sculptures such as Lily Pond Stele, Silhouetted Geometry, and Winged Stele, among others.
This file contains 23 photographs and 21 slides that feature sculptures such as Kanawha Landscape, among others.
This file contains 5 photographs and 4 slides.
This file contains 21 photographs that feature One Morning In The Garden and The Dove and the Snake, among others.
This file contains 19 photographs, 9 slides, and 2 documentary materials that feature sculptures such as Arch, Ascending Spirit, Broken Wing Stele, and Strong Man Stele, among others.
This series contains correspondence, receipts, photographs, and publications that document Rubin Peacock's life and career.
This file contains 9 photographs and 33 slides that document Rubin Peacock's early works and his participation in the Peace Corps at Camp Cobbla, Jamaica.
This file contains 24 photographs that document Rubin Peacock's studios and workshops.
This file contains correspondence between Rubin, his acquaintances, and his clients, including Gunston Hall, the National Electronics Museum, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, among others; newspapers, including Richmond News Leader, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Sarasota Arts Review, and Washington Post, among others; and publications such as Style Weekly, The Gunston Hall Newsletter, and Virginia Living, among others.
This file contains the correspondence and receipts of the Aylett Art Foundry. Included within this file is Rubin Peacock's notebook of patina formulas.