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Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring Mary Morton, Curator and Head of the Department of French Paintings, and Kimberly Jones, Curator of 19th Century French Paintings at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Together, they discuss their work on the landmark exhibition, Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment, and the accompanying exhibition catalogue.

The conversation centers on the daring spirit of the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874, a moment that saw artists defy the prestigious Paris Salon to showcase new ways of capturing modern life. Jones and Morton share insights into the forces behind Impressionism's revolutionary appeal, from the political and social upheavals in France to the transformation of Paris under Haussmannization. They explain how these changes inspired artists to redefine not only the subjects they painted but also how art itself was exhibited and experienced.

“You can talk about things like style and subject and that's a part of it, but my biggest takeaway is how these artists are reclaiming control in a very powerful, forceful, and undeniable way.”

– Kimberly Jones

Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment is on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. through January 19, 2025.

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About the Curators

Mary Morton has been curator and head of French paintings at the National Gallery of Art since 2010. She previously served as associate curator of paintings at the J. Paul Getty Museum (2004–2010) and associate curator of European art at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Houston (1998–2004). In 2018, Morton was awarded the Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by France's Ministry of Culture. Morton received her PhD from Brown University (1998), concentrating on 19th- and early 20th-century European painting. She also holds a BA in history from Stanford University (1987).

Kimberly A. Jones has been curator of nineteenth-century French paintings at the National Gallery of Art since 2016. A former museum fellow at the Musée national du château de Pau (1990–1991) and the Musée d'Orsay, Paris (1993–1994), she joined the curatorial staff of the National Gallery of Art in 1995 as assistant curator of French paintings. Jones holds a PhD and MA from the University of Maryland with specialization in 19th-century European and American art, as well as a dual degree in art history and studio art from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College).

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Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring Diana Seave Greenwald, curator of the exhibition Manet: A Model Family at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and editor of the associated catalogue, published by Princeton University Press.

Manet: A Model Family offers a fascinating look at the personal life and family relationships that shaped one of art history's most influential painters. Greenwald, Curator of the Collection at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, reveals how Édouard Manet's complex family dynamics—including his relationship with his mother, his marriage to his brothers' piano teacher, and his role as godfather to her son—influenced his artistic development and provided him with willing models for his groundbreaking works.

“For all the ink spent on Manet's engagement with other artists and time in cafes and he's a bohemian and he's this charming guy and he's a luminary of this moment in Paris, his family was important to him. And it's in the visual record.”

– Diana Seave Greenwald

Diana Seave Greenwald is an art historian and economic historian. An expert in 19th century American and French art, she is currently William & Lia Poorvu curator of the collection of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Prior to joining the Gardner, Diana was an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., working in the departments of American and British Paintings and Modern Prints and Drawings. She received a D.Phil. in History from the University of Oxford. Before doctoral study, Diana earned an M.Phil. in Economic and Social History from Oxford and a Bachelor’s degree in Art History from Columbia University.

Listen to this podcast on Spotify and Apple

Order the book here

Learn more about the podcast Reading the Art World here.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring Gary Garrels, curator and editor of Willem de Kooning and Italy, published by Marsilio Arte, distributed internationally by Artbook D.A.P. The associated exhibition is on view at Gallerie dell’Accademia di Venezia through September 15, 2024.

Willem de Kooning and Italy is the first monograph to expand upon the artist’s two impactful trips to Italy: in the fall of 1959 and in the summer of 1969. These two chapters in de Kooning’s life and career, as reflected in the development of his work from the end of the ’50s to his last works of the ’80s. In addition to essays by the two curators and editors, Gary Garrels and Mario Codognato, this beautifully illustrated catalogue includes contributions from the art historians Jeremy Bleeke, Ester Coen, Anna Coliva and Patrick Elliott.

"De Kooning, unlike so many of the abstract expressionists, was not interested in just rupture, but in continuity. A lot of the abstract expressionists had disdain for tradition and history—wanted to reinvent art and painting. But de Kooning was very steeped in the history and tradition. So he was always looking to the past and was aware of the whole, especially the European tradition of painting.”

– Gary Garrels

Gary Garrels is a highly respected and influential curator for more than thirty-five years at major museums in the United States, including: Dia Art Foundation, New York, Director of Programmes, 1987-1991; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Senior Curator, 1991-1993; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture, 1993-2000; Museum of Modern Art, New York, Chief Curator, Department of Drawings and Curator, Department of Painting and Sculpture, 2000-2005; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, Chief Curator and Deputy Director of Exhibitions and Public Programmes, 2005-2008; and again at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, as Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture, 2008- 2020. He is currently an independent curator living and working in New York, focused on projects of special interest.

Listen to this podcast on Spotify and Apple

Order the book here

Learn more about the podcast Reading the Art World here.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring Richard Shiff, art historian and author of Writing after Art, published by David Zwirner Books.

Richard Shiff’s book is an expansive anthology of his most influential writings, many of which have shaped the art world’s understanding of 20th and 21st century artists. Throughout our conversation, Richard illuminates how he comes to observe and understand an artist's work in a way that can inspire us to do the same more thoughtfully.

"Writing is certainly itself an art. And critical writing that is probing, rather than mirroring art, is a kind of aesthetic exercise in itself, and it should stand aside the art as a kind of parallel, or as a collaborative venture that's like the other side. It's thought that becomes explicitly expressed rather than transient. It’s put down and it's permanent.”
– Richard Shiff

Richard Shiff is the Effie Marie Cain Regents Chair in Art at The University of Texas at Austin. His interests range broadly across the field of modern and contemporary art. His publications include Barnett Newman: A Catalogue Raisonné (coauthored, 2004), Doubt (2008), Between Sense and de Kooning (2011), Ellsworth Kelly: New York Drawings 1954–1962 (2014), Joel Shapiro: Sculpture and Works on Paper 1969–2019 (2020), and Sensuous Thoughts: Essays on the Work of Donald Judd (2020). He is currently completing a comprehensive study of the art of Jack Whitten.

Writing after Art includes essays on a wide range of prominent artists, many of whom are featured in current exhibitions around the world. 

• Willem de Kooning - Gallerie dell'Accademia

• Peter Doig - Group exhibition at Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich

• Jasper Johns - San Diego Museum of Art

• Donald Judd - Gagosian in Basel

• Ellsworth Kelly - Cahiers D'Art and Art Institute Chicago

• Julie Mehretu - recently unveiled BMW Art Car collab, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia upcoming exhibition

• Bridget Riley - SCAD

• Richard Serra -Longleaf Art Park 

• Zeng Fanzhi - LACMA in Venice

Listen to this podcast on Spotify and Apple

Order the book here

Learn more about the podcast Reading the Art World here.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring Eva Respini, curator and editor of Simone Leigh, published by DelMonico Books in association with the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston.

Eva Respini’s book, and our conversation, offers a deep dive into the groundbreaking work of contemporary artist Simone Leigh, whose multidimensional artistry challenges conventions, and sparks meaningful conversations about race, gender, and identity.

“Because when I started looking around and doing more research, I realized that she hadn't had a museum survey exhibition, and there had been no book, no monograph published. And this to me seemed shocking for an artist that not only was so hyper visible in this moment in New York, in our little bubble of an art world, but also someone who was so confident in her practice, and had an artistic and aesthetic language that was very mature and very complex.”
– Eva Respini

Respini served as the Curator and Co-Commissioner for the 2022 US Pavilion’s presentation of Simone Leigh at the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. It marked the first time a Black woman represented the United States at the Biennale, and Leigh won the 2022 Golden Lion for her groundbreaking work. Eva Respini is currently Deputy Director and Director of Curatorial Programs at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

The traveling exhibition, Simone Leigh, organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston and Eva Respini, opens at LACMA and the California African American Museum on Sunday, May 26th. The exhibition is the first comprehensive survey of the richly layered work of this celebrated artist.

Listen to this podcast on Spotify and Apple

Order the book here

Learn more about the podcast Reading the Art World here.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring Martin Gayford, art critic and author of Venice: City of Pictures, published by Thames & Hudson. Gayford’s book brings the richness and complexity of Venice's centuries of history to life with his rumination on the city’s paintings, sculpture, and architecture that are both familiar to us and new revelations.

The conversation shines a special spotlight on the magical, cultural city in advance of the Venice Biennale, opening April 20, 2024.

“So there were all these people passing through, actually almost the same piece of space, looking at exactly the same view. And so there were social connections, and it also established a reputation for what it really still has, which is being the city of art. It was a city where people who were interested in the arts were drawn to go and stay.”
– Martin Gayford

Martin Gayford is an author and journalist. He studied philosophy at Cambridge and art history at the Courtauld Institute of London University. He's written prolifically about art and jazz, contributed regularly to the Daily Telegraph, and also to many art magazines and exhibition catalogs. He was art critic of the Spectator from 1994 to 2002, subsequently at the Sunday Telegraph before becoming chief art critic for Bloomberg News until 2013.

Martin's publications and writings include studies of the lives and works of van Gogh, Gauguin, Constable, Michelangelo, Lucian Freud, Antony Gormley and several beautiful collaborations with David Hockney.

Listen to this podcast on Spotify and Apple

Order the book here

Learn more about the podcast Reading the Art World here.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring Leslie Ramos, author of Philanthropy in the Arts: A Game of Give and Take, published by Lund Humphries. Ramos’ book is a guidepost for cultural institutions, philanthropists, artists, galleries, and even financial advisors and public policy advisors on the importance of supporting the arts and doing it strategically.

And what I have found is that support does come at every level. And that if institutions manage to engage potential donors, and their mission is compelling and they can make a case for why they would need support, they will get support, even if not necessarily always at the million dollar plus level.
– Leslie Ramos

Leslie Ramos is a philanthropy and strategy advisor specializing in the arts and cultural sectors. She's the co-founder of the strategic consulting agency The Twentieth that provides independent expertise around giving, fundraising, collecting, and engaging with the arts ecosystem. Alongside her professional work, Ramos supports and holds voluntary positions in multiple arts nonprofits, and contributes to various international art media outlets, universities, commenting and lecturing on philanthropy and museum studies.

Listen to this podcast on Spotify and Apple

Order the book here

Learn more about the podcast Reading the Art World here.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring Natasha Degen, author of Merchants of Style: Art and Fashion After Warhol, published by Reaktion Books and distributed by The University of Chicago Press. Degen’s book provides a unique perspective on the accelerating convergence of art and fashion, and highlights how Andy Warhol anticipated the merging of the art and fashion worlds as we see them today.

As fashion looks to art in its designs and its presentation and its runway shows and its marketing, then maybe there is less distinction between art and fashion. And maybe that movement between the two fields is something that is more possible now than ever before.
– Natasha Degen

Natasha Degen is Professor and Chair of Art Market Studies. She is a recognized writer and critic, having contributed to publications including The New Yorker, The Financial Times, The New York Times, Artforum, and Frieze; she serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal for Art Market Studies. Among other prizes, Degen received a $30,000 art criticism award from the Andy Warhol Foundation and a Luce Scholarship which sent her to Beijing for a year. She compiled and edited The Market (MIT Press, 2013), an interdisciplinary anthology tracing the art market's interaction with contemporary practice. 

Listen to this podcast on Spotify and Apple

Order the book here

Learn more about the podcast Reading the Art World here.

Edward Berthelot/Getty Images. Illustration by Artnet News.

Artnet News Pro included Katya Kazakina’s report on the phenomenon of ‘Gmail Art Advisors’ and her conversation with Megan Fox Kelly in their The Back Room weekly recap.

The Artnet News team shares that “With the bubble for some ultra-hot ultra-contemporary artists deflating before our eyes, Gmail Art Advisors seem to be disappearing left and right. Historically, that’s par for the course when easy commissions dry up and the work of advising gets hard. Unlike, say, the 151 internationally approved members of the Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA), the Gmailers have no interest in, or aptitude for, the less glamorous, long-term responsibilities of the trade. Think: carefully researching provenance, inspecting condition, dealing with the shipping and customs headaches that often come from buying abroad, and more.”

Founded in 1980, the APAA is the only standard-setting organization for the practice of art advisory. Quoted in Kazakina’s article, Megan Fox Kelly states, “Undisclosed commissions from a gallery are a big no-no for an APAA member, as is holding inventory. The key is to always act in the best interest of a client, and uphold the greatest transparency.”

Read the roundup list here.

A view at Paris+ par Art Basel 2022. Courtesy of Art Basel.

Art market journalist Katya Kazakina reports on the phenomenon of ‘Gmail Art Advisors’ and spoke with Megan Fox Kelly about the role and ethical practice in the art advisory profession.

In her article, ‘Gmail Art Advisors’ Are a Pestilence on the Market. Luckily, They Are Starting to Melt Away, One by One (February 23, 2023) Kazakina investigates the recent influx of highly transactional ‘advisors’, sharing that “There’s a way to ferret out bad actors and find good ones. The Association of Professional Art Advisors, for example, has 151 approved members internationally, up from 111 in 2013, with its ranks including curators as well as consultants.”

Founded in 1980, the APAA is the only standard-setting organization for the practice of art advisory. Quoted in Kazakina’s article, Megan Fox Kelly shares, “Undisclosed commissions from a gallery are a big no-no for an APAA member, as is holding inventory. The key is to always act in the best interest of a client, and uphold the greatest transparency.”

Read the full article by Katya Kazakina here.

Christie's James Bond charity auction raised £6m in October. Courtesy of Christie's.

Journalist Melanie Gerlis shares her art market insights on an an unprecedented year for charity auction sales and spoke with Megan Fox Kelly about recent auctions and opacity in market data.

In her article, ‘'The downside to art world altruism that no one talks about' (November 25, 2022) Gerlis reports on the recent philanthropic bent of the art market, reporting that “For the first half of this year, Christie’s reported that its charitable auctions had raised $440m, and confirms that 2022—taking into account November’s record-breaking $1.5bn auction of Paul G. Allen’s collection, whose proceeds are all earmarked for philanthropy—will be an unprecedented year for such sales.”

Quoted in Gerlis’ article, Megan Fox Kelly shares, “If a collector aligns with a particular charity then they can be willing to go a little beyond […] Buyers ultimately are still chasing the art more than the charitable cause and a philanthropic auction is an effective way to bring in donations from people who otherwise might not have supported their cause.”

Read the full article by Melanie Gerlis here.

Frieze London 2019. Photo by Linda Nylind. Courtesy of Linda Nylind/Frieze.

Journalist Melanie Gerlis reports on the historic value of the dollar, compared to six major currencies this month, and how it is making the next two weeks of art fairs in Europe all the more appealing for American collectors.

In her article, ‘Like Getting a 20 Percent Discount’: For U.S. Collectors at European Art Fairs, the Strong Dollar Means Everything Is on Sale’ (October 10, 2022) Gerlis reports on the effects of the rapid currency shifts, sharing that “for those outside the U.S. […] the economic headwinds are starting to burn—and requiring them to make adjustments.”

Quoted in Gerlis’ article, Megan Fox Kelly notes that, “Beyond the art fairs, collectors in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe may be feeling the pinch and are going to be looking to sell certain things—maybe not in the coming weeks, in the coming months.”

“Whether that happens at auction or on the private side, clients are on the lookout for consignments coming out of European collections. After all, if the artworks are sold in Europe, Americans will be able, essentially, to get them on sale.”

Read the full article by Melanie Gerlis here.

Banksy's “Love Is in the Air” at auction on May 12, 2021, at Sotheby's. Credit: Nina Westervelt for The New York Times

New York Times reporter Robin Pogrebin reports on the purchase of Banksy’s painting Love Is in the Air and plans to sell off fragments of the artwork as NFTs to thousands of buyers at a fraction of the original purchase cost.

In her article, Cutting a Banksy Into 10,000 (Digital) Pieces (Dec 1, 2021) Pogrebin reports that the company Particle, founded in part by former Christie’s executive Loic Gouzer, purchased the artwork at auction for $12.9 million and the group now plans to sell 10,000 fragments of the work as NFTs, “allow[ing] a much wider audience to be part of a collecting experience” stated the executive.

NFTs have grown in influence in the market in 2020, since the landmark sale of the digital artist Beeple’s work Everydays: The First 5,000 Days for $69 million at a Christie’s online auction in May . The sale of digital artworks now accounts for one-third of online sales in volume, or, two percent of the overall art market according the Artprice database. With the rise in NFT sales we see the creation of consortiums angling to collectively purchase these digital pieces in order to own a slice of a particular artwork.

But many remain skeptical of NFTs their ability to maintain value as vehicles for investment. Quoted in Pogrebin’s article, Megan Fox Kelly stated, “A work of art is a unique object and collectors who love art want to own the object itself…The NFT is a separate entity from the object. I think we’re still in very early days of understanding how these’s NFTs exist as works of art…Right now they appear to be investment vehicles, with potentially significant returns, and the conversations around them are focused on that.”

Read the full article by Robin Pogrebin here.

Tulips by Jeff Koons at the Broad Museum. Photo by Santi Visalli / Getty Images.

Journalist Ron Marans reports on how collectors can nurture great artistic talent, beyond just purchasing their work.

Quoted in Marans’ article, ‘How to Become an Artist’s Patron’ (March 2, 2020), Megan Fox Kelly shares that, “When collectors want to get involved with the young artists or emerging artists it’s because they have a real interest in and love for the work that they’re making.”

Read the full article by Ron Marans here.

Michael Bowles/Getty Images for Gagosian Gallery.

Journalist Daniel Grant reports on Larry Gagosian's newly announced advisory arm of his high-profile gallery.

In his article, ‘As Gagosian Gets Into Art Advisory, Should Collectors Be Cautious of Taking Tips From Gallerists?’ (April 19, 2019), Grant shares that “There may be no moral to the story, but there is certainly a trend: Whereas, in the past, players in the art trade had distinct roles, increasingly individuals and companies are trying to be more full-service.”

Quoted in Grants’ article, Megan Fox Kelly notes that, “Sometimes, I find myself talking with a client’s financial advisor about how much of their assets should be invested in art. I’m asked to do things now that I never did just a few years ago.”

Megan is a long-standing member of the Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA), which requires that its members “may not maintain inventory for sale, accept artwork on consignment or act as private dealers in any transaction.” That requirement protects advisory clients, according to Megan Fox Kelly. Because gallery owners “represent inventory they own or that is on consignment to them,” she explains, “their first responsibility is to their inventory and to their consignors.”

Read the full article by Daniel Grant here.

Artelligence Podcast.

Megan Fox Kelly spoke on an international program to celebrate Dickinson Gallery’s 25th Anniversary, held at their New York space during the Spring edition of TEFAF New York.

Alongside Todd Levin and William O’Reilly, the conversation explores the relationship between advisors, collectors and the art market ecosystem, as well as the joys and pitfalls of building an art collection.

Listen to the full conversation here.

Detail of Dan Flavin, Untitled (Marfa project), 1996. © 2011 Stephen Flavin / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Douglas Tuck, 2009. Courtesy of the Chinati Foundation.

Journalist Anna Louie Sussman reports on how artist estates are grappling with the question of whether and how to produce posthumous work

Quoted in Louie Sussman’s article, ‘How Dead Artists Continue Producing Work’ (June 7, 2018), Megan Fox Kelly shares that,“Protecting the artist’s market is an essential part of protecting the artist’s legacy. Whatever the artist’s intention, an artist’s legacy and her or his posthumous market can no longer be separated.”

Read the full article by Anna Louie Sussman here.

Image courtesy of Megan Fox Kelly.

Journalist Nate Freeman reports on Megan Fox Kelly’s recent election to become president of the Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA).

Quoted in Freemans’s article, ‘Megan Fox Kelly Elected President of Association of Professional Art Advisors ’ (May 5, 2017), Megan Fox Kelly shares that, “We are not private dealers or auction house personnel and do not maintain inventories of art for sale. APAA members are independent advisors and advocates on behalf of their clients. We continue to grow our membership and look forward to welcoming art advisors and private collection curators who share our level of connoisseurship, scholarship, expertise in the art market, and ethical business practices.”

Founded in 1980, the APAA acts as a watchdog that sets the ethical standard for art advisors. Megan will replace Joe Houston, the curator of Kansas City’s Hallmark Art Collection, who served a two-year term. “Joe has raised APAA’s profile as a resource for collectors, and the general public through online platforms and our newly designed APAA News,” Fox Kelly said in a press release. “Thanks to his work, we continue to educate the public, media, and broader art community as advocates for standards of professional practice for qualified art advisors.”

Read the full article by Nate Freeman here.