Blurring the Boundaries: The Rise of Blockbuster Museum-Quality Exhibitions in Commercial Galleries

The past ten years have witnessed the rise of historical, museum-quality blockbuster exhibitions in commercial art galleries. This is a sign of a changing art environment, where traditional roles are interchangeable and boundaries are blurring. Why and how are these very expensive shows conceived and put together, what is their goal, and what are the results for the galleries that organize them? And what is their impact on the public, the critic, and the market in general?

In this inaugural Women and the Kemper Public Lecture, Valentina Castellani, former director of New York's Gagosian Gallery, will discuss the rise of blockbuster exhibitions in commercial art galleries, focusing on the Gagosian exhibitions Picasso: Mosqueteros and Piero Manzoni: A Retrospective.

The program will include live closed captions.

Free, but registration is required (link to come).

A recording of the program will become available on the Museum’s YouTube channel in the weeks following.

Cosponsored by Women and the Kemper and the Olin Business School.