Reading the Art World

• Ian Wardropper

  For the 37th episode of “Reading the Art World,” host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with Ian Wardropper, author and former director of The Frick Collection, about his illuminating new book “The Fricks Collect: An American Family and the Evolution of Taste in the Gilded Age,” published by The Frick Collection in association with Rizzoli Electa.Wardropper shares the fascinating story of Henry Clay Frick's evolution from a rough Pittsburgh businessman to one of America's most discerning collectors. Through careful research into the Frick archives, Wardropper shows how Frick spent his first twenty years collecting contemporary American art — learning to develop his eye and work with dealers — before making the leap to Old Master paintings at the highest level of the market.Our conversation reveals Frick's distinctive approach to collecting: his relentless focus on quality over quantity, his willingness to edit and refine his holdings, and his vision for creating harmonious environments where great paintings lived alongside exceptional decorative arts. Wardropper also brings to light the crucial role of Helen Clay Frick, whose strong opinions and different tastes shaped the collection's growth after her father's death, including her establishment of the world-renowned Frick Art Research Library.This episode provides essential insights for collectors, museum professionals, and anyone interested in how great collections are built and sustained across generations. Wardropper's deep understanding of both the Frick family's story and the institution's transformation offers a compelling look at American collecting at its finest.ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ian Wardropper served as the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Director of The Frick Collection for 14 years, leading the institution through its most transformative period, including the first comprehensive renovation in nearly 90 years and the innovative Frick Madison project. Previously, he held curatorial positions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as Chairman of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts and at the Art Institute of Chicago for twenty years. A specialist in European decorative arts and sculpture, Wardropper oversaw ambitious exhibitions, a major capital campaign that raised $242 million, and pioneering digital initiatives including the acclaimed "Cocktails with a Curator" series. He holds a Ph.D. in art history from NYU and was named a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the French Minister of Culture.PURCHASE THE BOOK https://shop.frick.org/the-fricks-collect-an-american-family-and-the-evolution-of-taste-the-gilded-age-softcoverSUBSCRIBE, 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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• Sarah Roberts

  For the 36th episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with Sarah Roberts, curator of the landmark exhibition "Amy Sherald: American Sublime," and editor of the accompanying catalog published by Yale University Press in association with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.Roberts discusses Sherald's revolutionary portraiture approach — from her distinctive gray-scale skin tones that shift focus to her subjects' interior lives, to her deliberate use of clothing and settings as narrative devices. She shares insights on the "American sublime" concept in Sherald's work and her curatorial decisions integrating the iconic Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor portraits within the larger context of the artist's practice.This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in contemporary portraiture, the evolution of American figurative painting, and how art can challenge conventional narratives about representation and identity. Roberts' insights reveal why Sherald's quiet yet radical artistic vision offers a powerful reimagining of who deserves to be seen and celebrated in American art history.ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sarah Roberts is Senior Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Joan Mitchell Foundation where she oversees the Foundation's Artwork and Archival Collections and the Joan Mitchell Catalogue Raisonné project. Since 2004, she has served in progressive leadership roles in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the SFMOMA, and since 2020 as Andrew W. Mellon Curator and Head of Painting and Sculpture. A specialist in post-war American art, Roberts has organized significant exhibitions including major presentations of Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Bourgeois, Frank Bowling, and co-curated the Joan Mitchell retrospective that traveled internationally. Roberts holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Brown University, and has contributed to numerous publications on contemporary art.ABOUT THE EXHIBITION"Amy Sherald: American Sublime" is now on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York through August 3, 2025, following its run at SFMOMA. The exhibition will travel to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. (September 19, 2025 – February 22, 2026).PURCHASE THE BOOK https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300279382/amy-sherald/ 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. 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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• 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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