Reading the Art World

• Michael Findlay

  For the 35th episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with influential art dealer Michael Findlay about his captivating memoir, "Portrait of the Art Dealer as a Young Man," published by Prestel.This vibrant conversation takes listeners back to New York's electric downtown art scene of the 1960s and 70s, where Findlay directed one of SoHo's first galleries and launched exhibitions for artists now considered icons. With charm and wit, Findlay shares candid stories of his rise in the art world, recounting encounters with Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and other creative forces that defined an era when appreciation for art outweighed its investment potential.Moving beyond nostalgia, Findlay provides sharp insights into how the art world transformed from the experimental downtown scene to today's global market. Through vivid anecdotes about The Chelsea Hotel, Max's Kansas City, and Studio 54, he recreates a New York where creative experimentation flourished without today's commercial pressures.Whether you're fascinated by cultural history, the evolution of the art market, or simply love a good story, Findlay's irreverent, honest perspective offers a fresh look at a pivotal moment when art dealers, artists, and collectors converged to create lasting cultural change.ABOUT THE AUTHOR One of the earliest dealers in SoHo, Michael Findlay showcased artists including John Baldessari, Joseph Beuys, and Hannah Wilke. Named Head of Impressionist and Modern Paintings at Christie's in 1984, he later became its International Director of Fine Arts. Since 2000 he has been a director at Acquavella Galleries, New York, which in recent years has held major exhibitions of important Impressionist, modern, and contemporary masters. His other books include “The Value of Art" and “Seeing Slowly – Looking At Modern Art.”PURCHASE THE BOOKhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746815/portrait-of-the-art-dealer-as-a-young-man-by-michael-findlay/ SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW AND HEAR INTERVIEWS:For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com, hear our past interviews, and subscribe at the bottom of our Of Interest page for new posts.Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkelly"Reading the Art World" is a live interview and podcast series with leading art world authors hosted by art advisor Megan Fox Kelly. The conversations explore timely subjects in the world of art, design, architecture, artists and the art market, and are an opportunity to engage further with the minds behind these insightful new publications. Music by Bob Golden

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• Sebastian Smee

  For the 34th episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with Sebastian Smee, Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic for The Washington Post and author of "Paris in Ruins: Love, War, and the Birth of Impressionism,” published by W. W. Norton.This fascinating conversation explores the violent political upheavals of 1870-71 Paris — the Siege of Paris and the Paris Commune — and how they influenced the Impressionist movement. Smee shares insights into the lives of the artists who survived these dramatic days, including Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot, who were trapped in Paris; Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Frédéric Bazille, who joined regiments outside of the capital; and Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro, who fled the country just in time.Through rigorous research into personal letters and historical documents, Smee illuminates the human context behind familiar masterpieces of light created during this dark period. He offers a fresh perspective on why the Impressionists, with their newfound sense of the fragility of life, turned toward transient subjects of modern life, leisure, fleeting moments and the impermanence of all things in the aftermath of such devastating events.ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sebastian Smee is an art critic for The Washington Post and winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. His previous works include "The Art of Rivalry" and books on Mark Bradford and Lucian Freud. He was awarded the Rabkin Prize for art journalism in 2018 and was a MacDowell Fellow in 2021.PURCHASE THE BOOK https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324006954SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW AND HEAR INTERVIEWS:For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com, hear our past interviews, and subscribe at the bottom of our Of Interest page for new posts.Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkelly"Reading the Art World" is a live interview and podcast series with leading art world authors hosted by art advisor Megan Fox Kelly. The conversations explore timely subjects in the world of art, design, architecture, artists and the art market, and are an opportunity to engage further with the minds behind these insightful new publications. Megan Fox Kelly is an art advisor and past President of the Association of Professional Art Advisors who works with collectors, estates and foundations.Music composed by Bob Golden

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• Art Books for Holiday Gifting

  Join art advisor Megan Fox Kelly for a special holiday podcast episode.The holiday season, with its whirlwind of glittering lights and celebratory clamor, also offers moments of quiet reflection—a perfect time for gifting books that open doors to new worlds. For art lovers, history buffs, and anyone captivated by beauty, these books are more than just pages—they are journeys. Whether it's an artist’s compelling story or a deep dive into the mysteries of painting itself, these selections promise to educate, entertain, and inspire long after the decorations are packed away.To hear interviews with top authors of other great new art books, don’t miss an episode of “Reading the Art World."SHOW NOTESEpisode Timestamps:00:21 - Holiday Book Gift Guide01:09 - Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment02:00 - Surrealism02:42 - Manet: A Model Family03:22 - Amy Sherald: American Sublime04:00 - The Art Front: The Defense of French Collections 1939-194504:37 - Paris in Ruins05:10 - How Painting Happens (and why it matters)05:44 - Picasso: Endlessly DrawingPURCHASE THESE BOOKSParis 1874: The Impressionist Moment: https://bit.ly/4fpOIQhSurrealism: https://bit.ly/4i66E41 Manet: A Model Family: https://bit.ly/415vhaS Amy Sherald: American Sublime: https://bit.ly/4g7ARy0 The Art Front: The Defense of French Collections 1939-1945: https://bit.ly/3ZcmaTg Paris in Ruins: https://bit.ly/3ZqgGph How Painting Happens (and why it matters): https://bit.ly/3ZqHhCG Picasso: Endlessly Drawing: https://bit.ly/3B24Yb1 SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW AND HEAR INTERVIEWSFor more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com, hear our past interviews, and subscribe at the bottom of our Of Interest page for new posts.Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkelly"Reading the Art World" is a live interview and podcast series with leading art world authors hosted by art advisor Megan Fox Kelly. The conversations explore timely subjects in the world of art, design, architecture, artists and the art market, and are an opportunity to engage further with the minds behind these insightful new publications. Megan Fox Kelly is an art advisor and past President of the Association of Professional Art Advisors who works with collectors, estates and foundations.Music composed by Bob Golden

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• Mary Morton & Kimberly Jones

  For the 32nd episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with 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.This exhibition and catalog shine a light on lesser-known figures who were critical to the movement’s evolution, challenging visitors to unlearn what they think they know about Impressionism. With its juxtapositions of Salon and Impressionist works, “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment” allows audiences to feel the radical nature of these pieces that once shocked critics but are now beloved worldwide.“Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment”  is on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. through January 19, 2025. Learn more here: https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2024/paris-1874-impressionist-moment.htmlABOUT THE CURATORSMary 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).PURCHASE THE BOOK: https://shop.nga.gov/paris-1874-the-impressionist-moment SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW AND HEAR INTERVIEWS:For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com, hear our past interviews, and subscribe at the bottom of our Of Interest page for new posts.Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkelly"Reading the Art World" is a live interview and podcast series with leading art world authors hosted by art advisor Megan Fox Kelly. The conversations explore timely subjects in the world of art, design, architecture, artists and the art market, and are an opportunity to engage further with the minds behind these insightful new pub

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• Diana Seave Greenwald

  For the 31st episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with 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.The exhibition and book offer 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.Through contributions from multiple scholars, the book challenges traditional narratives about the artist, exploring how family support, both emotional and financial, enabled his artistic innovations. This thoughtful conversation coincides with the Gardner Museum's exhibition of the same name, offering listeners insight into how biographical research can deepen our understanding of great artists and their work. Whether you're an art history enthusiast or simply curious about the intersection of family life and artistic creation, this episode provides a fresh perspective on one of modernism's pivotal figures.“Manet: A Model Family” is on view at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum through January 20, 2025. Learn more here: https://www.gardnermuseum.org/calendar/manet-model-family.ABOUT DIANA SEAVE GREENWALDDiana 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.PURCHASE THE BOOK:https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691260662/manetSUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW AND HEAR INTERVIEWS:For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com, hear our past interviews, and subscribe at the bottom of our Of Interest page for new posts.Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkellyMusic by Bob Golden

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