Join curator Elizabeth Lay Little, a regular lecturer on the topics of fashion, textiles, and American furniture, and her guests for an image-rich lunchtime series focusing on decorative arts and design topics.
June 10 My Kids Hate Antiques: Developing the Next Generation of Collectors and Connoisseurs
"My kids hate my antiques and do not want anything I have." Antique dealer Taylor Thistlethwaite confides that this is one of the most common statements he hears from people who come into his shop in Middleburg, Virginia.
A younger generation of collectors and novices are making their decorating decisions much differently than their parents: Today family portraits, silver, and antiques are no longer treasured the way they once were. Thistlethwaite discusses the current state of the decorative arts world and how to make it more relatable to the next generation. He covers individual objects, decorating ideas, how to talk to your family about the future of your possessions—and why he’s hopeful about the future of young collectors.
June 17 Gabrielle Chanel’s La Pausa: The Complexity of Apparent Simplicity
To say that Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was a complicated individual is an understatement. La Pausa, her deceptively simple vacation home on the Riviera—a project begun in 1927—similarly harbors a great deal of complexity that is not apparent at first view.
Design historian Jean Marie Layton delves into the history of the home and its creation to demonstrate that it indeed mirrors its owner—a woman who promoted simplicity and modernity in women’s fashion, but who was equal parts modern, simple, and complex. The structure, décor, and environment of La Pausa, says Layton, reflect Chanel’s creative mind at work—assimilating influences, editing details, and creating a work that enables her to tell her own story, albeit in stone and native plantings.
June 24 From “Designing Women” to “Fixer Upper”: The History of American Interior Design
The professional interior designer is a relatively modern concept. Prior to the 20th century, the decoration of the American home was often the duty of the architect and the lady of the house, more of a necessity than an art. However, the enterprising spirit of several stylish women at the turn of the century launched an industry that now generates more than 25 billion dollars a year in the U.S., defining what it means to live and look like an American at home.
Benjamin Bowery, a research fellow at the Preservation Society of Newport County (Rhode Island), examines the roots and evolution of American interior design, from the French-obsessed doyennes of the Gilded Age to the women decorating the mid-century boardroom. He discusses the designers, tastemakers, and business owners who defined the aesthetics of the modern era, including Elsie de Wolfe, Dorothy Draper, Mary and Russel Wright, and Florence Knoll.
3 sessions
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit per session*
General Information
*Enrolled participants in the World Art History Certificate Program receive 1/2 elective credit per session. Not yet enrolled? Learn about the program, its benefits, and how to register here.
