Veterans Art Gallery
Creative Expression Shaped by Military Service
The Ode to the Warrior Class – The Artwork of Michael Solovey
NOW OPEN
Michael Solovey went to high school in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he was selected to attend the Virginia Governor’s School for the Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Richmond. He was one of only sixteen students throughout Virginia to attend this very selective program. During his senior year, Solovey also earned a provisional scholarship to the Savannah School of Art and Design. He graduated prolific in three media – pen and ink, watercolor, and pencil drawing – in 1992.
Seeking a different kind of challenge, Solovey decided to attend the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), where he majored in modern languages (French, German, Spanish) while pursuing all available art course. During his junior year at VMI, he was nominated to represent the Institute overseas in France, where he attended the Leo Marchutz School of Art in Aix-en-Provence. During his study abroad, he learned and became skilled in both pastels and oil painting while receiving all instruction in French. He returned to VMI and received a regular commission to the U.S. Army in 1996. During his twenty-nine-year career, he has cultivated his artistry through ten deployments to Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Kuwait, as well as numerous assignments in Germany and Italy.
In 1998, Solovey produced his first military lithograph for the 1st Armored Division during his first deployment in Bosnia. From that point, his passion snowballed until the present day. He is now working on his 185th set of limited-edition lithographs.
Although the majority of his work is composed with pencil, Solovey also produced some bespoke work in watercolor and oil. Additionally, Solovey was asked to interview to become an official U.S. Army artist special assignment, but he declined in order to continue deploying in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Solovey’s limited-edition lithographs can be seen in thousands of military offices and homes throughout the nation’s military community – in the United States and abroad. His most recent and significant work included an historical lineage print to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and custom work for the American Rose Society. To date, his most significant work is the watercolor painting lithograph celebrating the 250th year of the U.S. Army.
Solovey’s awards include one Legion of Merit, three Bronze Stars, six Distinguished Meritorious Service Medals, four Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Joint Service Achievement Medal. He is also a 2015 recipient of the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps’ Ordnance Order of Samuel Sharpe Award and now enjoys participating in challenging triathlons.
We are pleased to be able to offer regular exhibitions of Veterans Art in the C. Kenneth Wright Pavilion. This space is a natural extension of our efforts to provide veterans a safe place, free from judgment and convention, to tell their stories in their own words and images.
Visiting the Veterans Art Gallery is free and the space is open during museum hours.
