Artist Andrei Kushnir Gifts Original Oil Paintings To Shenandoah University

Shenandoah University is pleased to announce that it has received a gift of 231 original oil paintings by award-winning artist Andrei Kushnir, which are now on display in multiple buildings on the university’s main campus in Winchester, Virginia.

The paintings, which were created outdoors over a 15-year period, present an artistic and accurate record of the Shenandoah Valley in the early 21st century. Kushnir traveled throughout the valley during that period, capturing its famous river, rural landscapes, historic towns, Civil War battlefields, and cultural and religious places of importance.

Nearly 200 of Kushnir’s paintings are displayed in Halpin-Harrison Hall, home of the Shenandoah University’s School of Business. Additional paintings are on display in the Wilkins Administration Building and Davis Hall, which houses SU’s History Department as well as the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Shenandoah and the city of Winchester will celebrate the grand opening of the exhibit during the university’s Founders’ Day celebration on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 4:30 p.m. in Halpin-Harrison Hall, Stimpson Auditorium. 

This collection of paintings brings back many memories of trying to experience and capture the essence of the Shenandoah Valley. It was a learning experience, and so I believe these paintings are in their rightful environment at Shenandoah University. Hopefully, those who see these paintings will come to appreciate, as I did, the complex and beautiful nature of the Valley and its people.”

Andrei Kushnir

Kushnir’s Shenandoah Valley collection is an educational resource for Shenandoah University that will facilitate teaching and research across many different areas, including the visual arts, history, literature, environmental studies, and cultural studies. The paintings are readily available for study by Shenandoah students and faculty as well as visitors who are interested in learning about the beauty and rich history of the Shenandoah Valley.

As part of the gift agreement, other venues may borrow the works retained by Shenandoah University for exhibition. Longtime Shenandoah University Professor of History Warren Hofstra, Ph.D., called Kushnir’s gift “truly monumental.”

“It’s a great educational resource,” Dr. Hofstra said. “Faculty and students over many generations will be able to consult these works for research and study projects about the art, history, landscape, literature, and culture of the region from which Shenandoah University so famously takes its name. And it’s here for everyone to enjoy and treasure.”

Paintings from Kushnir’s Shenandoah Valley collection previously have been the subjects of single-artist exhibitions throughout Virginia, including at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, the Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond, and the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton.

This remarkable collection of Andrei Kushnir’s paintings captures the authentic character and beauty of the Shenandoah Valley – the very experiences that draw travelers here. We’re proud to partner with Shenandoah University to share these works with both visitors and residents, and to strengthen our region’s story as a destination where art, history, and community come together.”

Justin Kerns, executive director of the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Images of Kushnir’s paintings appear in the book “Oh, Shenandoah: Paintings of the Historic Valley and River” (George F. Thompson Publishing, 2016). Kushnir and Jeffrey C. Everett, who served as the book’s primary essayist, received the 2020 Excellence in Preservation Award from the Shenandoah County Historical Society for the publication’s “painting tour of Shenandoah County and the Shenandoah Valley.” Hofstra also contributed the book’s opening essay, “The Shenandoah Valley: Legendary American Landscape.”

William M. S. Rasmussen, former lead curator and Lora M. Robins Curator of Art at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (formerly the Virginia Historical Society), authored the book’s essay about Kushnir’s paintings of the Virginia landscape. Rasmussen recently stated of Kushnir’s work: “I was moved by their beauty and power, as I am sure viewers at the university will be. … I recognized that [Kushnir’s] work is first rate – as good as landscape painting gets.”