For the 24th episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with Natasha Degen, author of "Merchants of Style: Art and Fashion After Warhol," which was published by Reaktion Books in London just last year."Merchants of Style" explores the accelerating convergence of art and fashion, looking at the interplay of artists and designers – and the role of institutions, both public and commercial – that has brought about this marriage of aesthetic industries. Natasha Degen argues that one figure more than any other anticipated this moment: Andy Warhol. Beginning with an overview of art and fashion’s deeply entwined histories before picking up where Warhol left off, "Merchants of Style" tells the story of art’s emboldened forays into commerce and fashion’s growing embrace of art. Natasha Degen is actively engaged in the current thinking at the intersection of art, culture, and commerce. A highly regarded curator, critic and author, Natasha is Professor and Chair of Art Market Studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She earned an AB from Princeton University and an MPhil and PhD from University of Cambridge where she studied as a Gates Scholar. She edited "The Market,” (MIT Press, 2013), an interdisciplinary anthology tracing the art market's interaction with contemporary practice, and she has contributed to publications including The New Yorker, The Financial Times, The New York Times, Art Forum and Frieze. "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.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: @meganfoxkellyPurchase "Masters of Style: Art and Fashion After Warhol" at Reaktion Press. Music composed by Bob Golden

For the 23rd episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with Joanna Moorhead, the author of "Surreal Spaces: The Life and Art of Leonora Carrington," published by Princeton University Press."Surreal Spaces" tells the dramatic story of an artist who lived life on her own terms in a way that was radically modern for the 1930s, 1940s and later, and the book reveals how her life and art are inextricably entwined.Leonora Carrington (1917–2011) is one of the vanguards in the history of women artists and the history of Surrealism. Challenging the conventions of her time, Carrington abandoned family, society, and her home in England to embrace new experiences and to forge a unique artistic style in Europe and the Americas. Leading readers on a personal journey across Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the United States, and Mexico, "Surreal Spaces" describes the places and experiences that would become etched in Carrington’s memory and be echoed, sometimes decades later, in her art and writing.Author Joanna Moorhead's career spans decades in the world of journalism. She is a regular contributor to The Guardian, The Observer, The Times (London), The Art Newspaper and many others. In her art writing, Joanna has cultivated a unique expertise for unraveling the mysteries behind artists' lives and their work, which led her to the heart of surrealist art, where she meticulously uncovered the fascinating story of Leonora Carrington, who also happens to be her distant cousin. "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. For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com and subscribe to our new posts at the bottom of our Of Interest page. Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkellyPurchase "Surreal Spaces: The Life and Art of Leonora Carrington" at Princeton University Press and at Barnes & Noble and at specialty art bookstores.Music composed by Bob Golden.

For the 22nd episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with Richard Lacayo, author of “Last Light: How Six Great Artists Made Old Age a Time of Triumph,” published by Simon and Schuster.Richard Lacayo is one of the world's top art critics and he has been a long-time writer and editor at Time magazine. From 2003 to 2016 he was the magazine's art and architecture critic. Richard has also written on art and architecture for People, Foreign Policy, and Graydon Carter's new online publication, Air Mail. He's the co-author, with George Russell, of “Eyewitness: 150 Years of Photojournalism,” and in 2013 he delivered a lecture at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on the late careers of artists, the topic of this book. “Last Light” tells the stories of the late careers of six of history's greatest artists — Titian, Goya, Monet, Matisse, Hopper and Nevelson —  and shows how they continued to push themselves and the boundaries of their art-making right up until the end. As Richard’s book reveals, the importance of much of this late-in-life work would not be fully understood or appreciated until decades later."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. For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com and subscribe to our new posts. Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkellyPurchase “Last Light: How Six Great Artists Made Old Age a Time of Triumph” at Simon & Schuster and at Barnes & Noble. Music composed by Bob Golden.

For the 21st episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with Diana Seave Greenwald, whose latest book, "Isabella Stewart Gardner: A Life," was co-written with curator Nathaniel Silver, published by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and distributed by Princeton University Press.Isabella Stewart Gardner, who lived from 1840 to 1924, assembled an extraordinary collection of art from diverse cultures and eras — and built a Venetian-style palazzo in Boston to share these exquisite treasures with the world. But her life and work remains shrouded in myth. Separating fiction and fact, this book paints an unforgettable portrait of Gardner, drawing on her substantial personal archive and including previously unpublished findings to offer new perspectives on her life and her construction of identity.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."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. For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com and subscribe to our new posts. Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkellyPurchase "Isabella Stewart Gardner: A Life" at Princeton University Press or at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.Music composed by Bob Golden.

For the 20th episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with Susan Davidson, author of “Robert Motherwell: Pure Painting,” published in August by Hatje Cantz.Susan’s work is an in-depth study of the renowned Abstract Expressionist known as a deeply intellectual painter, brilliant theorist and articulate spokesman for the movement alongside Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. The book accompanies the exhibition Susan curated of Motherwell's painting at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth this summer. From October 12th through January 14th, 2024, you can see the show in Vienna at the Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien. Contributing writers to “Robert Motherwell: Pure Painting” are Jennifer Cohen, Simon Kelly, Monica McTighe and Sarah Rich.As an art historian and curator, Susan Davidson is an authority in the fields of surrealism, abstract expressionism and pop art. In her previous role as senior curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Susan oversaw the stewardship of the institution's collection, in addition to organizing notable exhibitions that include Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, John Chamberlain, Jackson Pollock's Paintings on Paper and Peggy and Kiesler: The Collector and the Visionary.Previously, Susan was collections curator at The Menil Collection in Houston. She served as the curatorial advisor to Robert Rauschenberg and a board member to the Rauschenberg Foundation, and her numerous exhibitions and publications on Rauschenberg include exhibitions at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the 2016 retrospective at the Tate Modern in London and MoMA in New York, and with Walter Hopps, the definitive Robert Rauschenberg retrospective for the Guggenheim.Susan holds advanced degrees in art history from the Courtauld Institute London and George Washington University in Washington, DC."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. For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com and subscribe to our new posts. Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkellyPurchase "Robert Motherwell: Pure Painting" at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth  and at Hatje CantzMusic composed by Bob Golden.

For the 19th episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with Amy Whitaker and Nora Burnett Abrams, authors of the new book, “The Story of NFTs: Artists, Technology, and Democracy,” published by Rizzoli Electa and the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver.NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, exploded into the art space last year, raising curiosity, conversation, creativity and confusion. The authors explore the basic concepts of NFTs and the underlying technology of blockchain, including their origins, their surprising connections to the history of artmaking and art collecting, and their potential to radically reshape the art world.In addition to the authors’ extensive knowledge, the book draws on a wide range of interviews with leading contributors to the NFT story. The many intersecting stories of NFTs in this book — knowledge stories, artist stories, democracy stories — center how we know what is true in an age of digital records and how we build collaborative and equitable structures for the future.Amy Whitaker is an Associate Professor of Visual Arts Administration at NYU's Steinhardt School. Amy is a prolific writer, speaker, and thinker who is focused on the relationship between art and markets and the impact that emerging technologies are having on the art market. Amy holds a BA from Williams College with honors in political science and art, an MFA in painting, an MBA, and a PhD in political economy.Nora Burnett Abrams is the Mark G. Falcone Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. She's among the youngest museum directors in the country, coming to that role after nearly a decade as the museum's lead Curator and Director of Planning, organizing over 30 exhibitions. She's written and spoken about the relationship between NFTs and conceptual art in the 1960s and '70s. Nora earned her BA at Stanford University, her MA at Columbia, and her PhD at NYU's Institute of Fine Arts."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 former President of the Association of Professional Art Advisors who works with collectors, estates and foundations. For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com and subscribe to our new posts. Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkelly.Purchase "The Story of NFTs" at Rizzoli USA or at MCA Denver.Music composed by Bob Golden.

For the 18th episode of "Reading the Art World," host Megan Fox Kelly speaks with Daniel Weiss, author of "Why the Museum Matters" published in 2022 by Yale University Press."Why the Museum Matters" offers Daniel Weiss's unique perspective as both a museum leader, art historian, and cultural thinker. Reading this book leaves you newly inspired by how our museums can enrich all of us individually and expand the minds and worlds of our communities and future generations.There is currently a moment of reckoning for many museums, in which they're asked to respond to questions about diversity and inequality, their funding sources, their collections, exhibitions and programming, and how to meet the changing expectations of their audiences and communities. In his book, Dan makes a powerful case for why museums will continue to be essential to any society, why they matter as stewards of culture, places to generate new ideas, to build communities, advanced learning and understanding, and create spaces of beauty and permanence.Dan Weiss is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was previously President of Haverford College and Lafayette College. Dan holds an MBA from Yale University and a PhD from Johns Hopkins University, where he was Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. He received his BA in art history and psychology from the George Washington University. Author of seven books and numerous articles, Dan Weiss was previously a management consultant at Booz, Allen & Hamilton in New York. "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. For more information, visit meganfoxkelly.com and subscribe to our new posts. Follow us on Instagram: @meganfoxkellyPurchase "Why the Museum Matters" at Yale University Press. Music composed by Bob Golden.

Renowned curator, scholar, and author Ruth Fine takes us behind the scenes of the creation of Frank Stewart’s Nexus: An American Photographer’s Journey, 1960s to the Present, an exhibition and catalog that analyzes the impact of the African-American, New York-based photographer known for capturing jazz artists in their element. Join art advisor and Reading The Art World  host, Megan Fox Kelly, as she sits down with longtime friend Ruth Fine to discuss the first complete monograph and retrospective on the sixty-year career of Frank Stewart. If you want to learn about books and authors reflecting on the art world, don't miss an episode!Purchase “Frank Stewart’s Nexus” at Rizzoli or Amazon. Music composed by Bob Golden.

How are museums physically adapting to a fast-paced, globally-minded world? Join art advisor and Reading the Art World host, Megan Fox Kelly, as she sits down with András Szántó, cultural strategy advisor and author of Imagining the Future Museum: 21 Dialogues with Architects. In this book, Szántó hosts conversations with 21 innovative building designers and surveys the thinking in the field, engaging not only architects who have built some of the world's most iconic institutions, but also members of an emerging global generation that is destined to leave its mark on the museum of the future. If you want to learn more about books and authors reflecting on the art market, don't miss an episode. Purchase "Imagining the Future Museum: 21 Dialogues with Architects" by András Szántó at Hatje Cantz or Amazon. To learn more about András's work, go to andras-szanto.com.Music composed by Bob Golden.

Join art advisor and Reading the Art World host, Megan Fox Kelly, for an in-depth interview with the Paul Mellon Director of the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Courtney J. Martin. In this episode, they discuss Cecily Brown, one of the most influential painters of our time. The 2020 book, Cecily Brown, is the first major monograph about the British-born, New York-based artist who rose to prominence in the late 1990s. Through a range of references to old master paintings, Abstract Expressionism, and popular culture, Brown's symbolic language, exuberant brushwork, rich palette, intense energy, and embrace of the erotic have redefined some of painting's historical canons.Purchase “Cecily Brown" by Courtney J. Martin at Phaidon. Music composed by Bob Golden.