Selected Press
Betty Cooke: The Circle and the Line
“The exhibiton presents a chronological tour through the designs of a preeminent mid-century artist, one who never lost that youthful bravado and ingenuity.”
— “At 97, Preeminent Jewelry Designer Betty Cooke is Still Inspired to Create,” Washington Post, December 20, 2021
New York Silver: Then and Now
“The exhibition proves that virtuosic traditions of New York Silversmiths endure in this digital age.”
— “Polished Performances,” The Magazine Antiques, October 4, 2017
“The artists and designers in the Museum of the City of New York show have explored the silver objects of another world — that of New York of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, and thoughtfully interpreted their forms to speak to contemporary concerns. Doing so in a precious metal, the material of heirlooms and presentation vases, gives the effort the respect it’s due.”
—Sarah Archer, “Artists and Designers Tell New Stories of Old Silver,” Hyperallergic, February 21, 2018
Crafting Modernism: Midcentury American Art and Design
“This show… is a voyage of discovery. For the museum, it affirms a seriousness of purpose in its programs and establishes its position as a creative contributor to the aesthetic culture of our time.”
– Ada Louise Huxtable, “Coming in from the Cold,” Wall Street Journal, Dec. 22, 2011
“Crafting Modernism: Midcentury American Art and Design…highlights the explosion of call-it-what-you-will creative activity between 1945 and 1969. During that period the worlds of art, craft and design were practically interchangeable. They certainly mix and mingle in the show’s smart installation, where mass-produced furnishings by the likes of the Eameses, Saarinen and Noguchi coexist with one-off pieces by Calder, Richard Pousette-Dart, Claes Oldenberg and other capital-A artists.”
— Karen Rosenberg, “Hewn, Spun, Joined, Sandwiched, Cemented,” New York Times, Oct. 27, 2011
What Would Mrs. Webb Do? A Founder’s Vision
“With her vision of a museum connected to various networks and marketplaces, Mrs. Webb affirmed craft…as a deeply social activity and a source of economic self-empowerment.”
– Karen Rosenberg, “A Visionary’s Mark is Still Being Seen,” New York Times, September 25, 2014
Gilded New York: Design, Fashion, and Society
“The staggering sums spent on art at last week’s auctions were interpreted by dealers and critics alike as evidence of a new Gilded Age. At such a moment, it may be useful to take a hard look at the old one, the late-19th-century period defined by the aggressive buying sprees of a few newly minted industrialists.”
– Karen Rosenberg, “How the Original 1 Percent Showed Off,” New York Times, November 21, 2013
“Forget the 1 percent. Consider them gracious and empathetic compared with the denizens of Gilded New York during two decades of excess from 1885 to 1905. This lavishly illustrated volume illuminates the mansions, costumes and other accouterments of the people whose philanthropy helped produce the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Opera, but whose self-indulgence also gave big money a bad name.”
—Sam Roberts, “Boy Detective, Gilded New York, and Best Dressed Man,” The New York Times, November 15, 2013
“The exhibition leads us around themes of obeying tradition, and encourages us to dissect the disparate elements of an era pregnant with intrigue.
— Alex R. Travers, “All is Gilt on the Surface,” Quest Magazine, November 2013
“Through jeweled tiaras and gold Ascot pins, family portraits gleaming with trompe l’oeil satin, and photos of the homes of the nouveau riche, the authors illustrate the transformations wrought by manna storms of wealth, the social mobility they encouraged and the cultural institutions they fostered, many of which continue to be cherished.”
—Julie Lasky, The New York Times Gift Guide
“Some of the greatest homes ever built in New York exist now only in archived photographs and memory. These were palace-like structures where young Astors, Vanderbilts, and Fricks would play—and barons of industry would relax in portrait-lined salons and under frescoed ceilings. Thanks to a new book, Gilded New York, and parallel exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, newly resurrected images of these mansions are on display.”
—Vanity Fair
"At the turn of the 19th century, status was everything. New York high society was coming of age. Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Astors, and other wealthy families fashioned their homes in the image of European aristocracy. Balls and dinner parties dominated the scene. Gilded New York showcases the lavish furnishings, clothing, and interiors of a new elite whose love of over-the-top style continues to influence our culture."
—Elle Decor
“Stunning photography of extravagant costumes and opulent locales transports the reader back into New York’s glamorous Gilded Age of the late-19 century. This impressive 216-page volume delves into the elite world of Old Money, and is a must-have for any lover of historical fashion.”
—Traditional Home
“New York at the end of the 19th century was a wonderful, vibrant place—especially for the very rich. The economy had taken off like a bottle rocket since the beginning of the Civil War, and there was no income tax. Leading industrialists vied with one another to load their wives with glittering jewels and to create the most sumptuous mansions, giving rise to the epithet for the era, The Gilded Age. Now a new book examines this period.”
—Women's Wear Daily
“This beautiful book explores the visual culture of New York’s social elite during the 'Gilded Age' and just before the technology of the gasoline engine, as well as Mr. Bell’s telephone and Mr. Edison’s electric light changed the world forever.”
—New York Social Diary
"The exhibition for which this handsomely illustrated book serves as the catalog opens in November in the Museum of the City of New York’s new Tiffany & Co. Foundation Gallery. 'By 1892 nearly one-third of the country’s millionaires lived in New York City,' we’re told by Donald Albrecht and his coauthor, Jeannine Falino. The recent commercialization of halftone photography meant that all this growth and extravagance could be recorded. One of the book’s most telling images shows a gathering of gentlemen inside Sherry’s restaurant—with everyone on horseback."
—Interior Design
“I recommend purchasing the book if this time period strikes your fancy. This cast of characters offers up endless entertainment. It is comprehensive, juicy and filled with gorgeous photos. In addition, it really showcases just how disproportionate life was in New York at the time. Like all good history lessons, there's a lot of insight on these pages that feels very relevant today. It paints a pretty fascinating portrait of those few in riches while so many more were in rags.”
—The Huffington Post
I am available for writing, curatorial projects, lectures & workshops
Paul Evans (1931-1987); Screen, 1969; Enameled, patinated and gilded steel and brass; 72x36x5 in.