Alexandra Kiely is an independent art historian based in the greater New York area. Her work focuses on making art, architecture, and art museums understandable to a general audience. She is the author of The Art Museum Insider, a book that guides those without art history training to have more informed and empowered experiences with art. Visit her website, A Scholarly Skater, and follow her on Instagram.
New Year’s Resolutions Inspired by Artists
Happy New Year! What resolutions are you making as you ring in January? If you’re still unsure what (if anything) your resolution should be, why...
Alexandra Kiely 1 January 2026
Art in the Mail: Wisława Szymborska’s Cut-and-Paste Postcards
Wisława Szymborska (1923-2012) was a Nobel Prize-winning Polish poet, but she was also an occasional artist. Her main medium was quirky...
Alexandra Kiely 17 December 2025
American Artist Who Loved Everything British: Edwin Austin Abbey’s Shakespeare Paintings
A painter and illustrator Edwin Austin Abbey was born in the US, but he loved all things British, particularly the works of William Shakespeare. He...
Alexandra Kiely 17 December 2025
The Complicated Meaning and Mysterious Origin of The Cloisters Cross
The Cloisters Cross is a beautiful English Romanesque walrus ivory cross, likely dating to the middle of the 12th century. From the moment it...
Alexandra Kiely 9 December 2025
Female Artists of the Peale Family, America’s First Art Dynasty
The Peale family was America’s first artistic dynasty. Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) was a prominent American artist and early museum...
Alexandra Kiely 8 December 2025
QUIZ: What Do You Know About Ancient Mosaics?
Alexandra Kiely 6 December 2025
Ravenna’s Byzantine Treasures: Mosaics in San Vitale
The early medieval church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, is most famous for its spectacular mosaics. In a city full of rich, Byzantine-style...
Alexandra Kiely 3 December 2025
All That Glitters: The Sparkling World of Medieval Mosaics
Welcome to the sparkling world of medieval mosaics! Although not as famous as illuminated manuscripts or stained glass, the mosaic was a popular art...
Alexandra Kiely 3 December 2025
Masterpiece Story: Pilgrims Going to Church by George Henry Boughton
Today’s Masterpiece Story is about Pilgrims Going to Church by George Henry Boughton (1833-1905). Even though Boughton grew up in America, he was...
Alexandra Kiely 27 November 2025
Landscape Painters, National Parks, and the American West in Art
The US National Parks are natural and man-made monuments legally set aside for protection and public enjoyment. Yellowstone became the first National...
Alexandra Kiely 18 November 2025
