This event has been rescheduled for February 23.
Join curators for a conversation in the newly refreshed Eloise W. Martin Galleries of European Design. The expanded and redesigned galleries feature 40% more objects on view than previously installed, including both iconic works from the Art Institute’s collection, rarely before seen pieces, and new acquisitions. These works were created between 1600 and 1900 by skilled designers and craftspeople from across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, for discerning consumers during a period of rapid global transformation. Curators will highlight objects on view and discuss the work that went into providing a deeper and more nuanced exploration of European design.
About the Speakers
Christopher (Kit) Maxwell is the Chair and Eloise W. Martin Curator of Applied Arts of Europe. Before joining the museum in 2022, he was at the Corning Museum of Glass, where, as curator of early modern glass, he was responsible for collections ranging in date from about 1250 to 1820. Before joining the Corning Museum, Kit worked in several different capacities at the Royal Collection Trust, and from 2005 to 2010 he held the position of assistant curator in the ceramics and glass section at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where he participated in the reinstallation of the ceramics galleries.
Kit received his BA in history of art from the University of Cambridge, his MA in decorative arts from Birkbeck College, University of London, and his PhD from the University of Glasgow with a dissertation on the dispersal of the Hamilton Palace collection. His recent postdoctoral work includes an MPhil on Nazi-era provenance from the University of Glasgow and an MRes in Caribbean Studies at the University of Warwick with a focus on the material culture of the colonized Caribbean during the 18th century.
Mairead Horton is research associate in Applied Arts of Europe. Since joining the Art Institute in 2023, she has provided research support for the reinstallation of the collection of European design, 1600–1900, in the Eloise W. Martin Galleries. Her prior museum experience includes roles at the Blanton Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art. She received her BA in art history from Princeton University and her MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, with a focus on the visual and material culture of the circum-Atlantic in the long 18th century.
What to Expect
This program will begin in Gallery 231, and will be focused on a handful of objects on view in the nearby galleries. Two staff members from the Applied Arts of Europe will present and answer audience questions. There will be a limited number of folding stools available for seating. ASL interpretation and/or assisted listening devices are available upon request at [email protected]. Assisted listening devices are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Requests must be made at least two weeks in advance.
