Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia

About

The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia houses one of the finest Indigenous Australian art collections in the world, rivaling many of the collections held in Australia. It is the only museum outside Australia dedicated solely to Indigenous Australian art. The director of the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection is Nici Cumpston OAM (Barkandji).

History

• 1746In 1746 Peter Jefferson, father of Thomas Jefferson, purchased land east of Charlottesville that included this location.
• 1815Thomas Jefferson inherited the land upon his father’s death and named it Pantops, meaning "all-seeing," and sold the property in 1815.
• 1938In 1938, James Cheek of Nashville bought the property and hired master architect Benjamin Charles Baker to build the current colonial revival style house.
• 1965Ruhe was a Professor of English at the University of Kansas who began collecting Aboriginal art in 1965 while in Australia as a Fulbright Visiting Professor.
• 1997He donated his collection to the University of Virginia in 1997 and the museum opened in its current location in 1999 under founding director Margo Smith AM, who served as director from 1999-2025.

Map

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