Fredericksburg, Virginia
Art, Botanical Garden, History, Historic House
Belmont, The Gari Melchers Estate and Memorial Gallery, in Stafford County near Fredericksburg, Virginia, is the former residence of the American figure painter Gari Melchers (1860-1932). The museum consists of the artist's home, studio and gardens. The stone studio and galleries house the largest collection of Melchers' works anywhere. Gari Melchers was one of the most decorated artists of his day. Today he is virtually unknown. His unvarying ambition to reproduce the essential character of a place and its people was the key to his international success, and yet it caused him to be considered old-fashioned by the close of his career.