Alexandra Kiely

Alexandra believes that enjoying the art of the past is the closest she can get to time travel, only much safer. When she's not being an art historian, she can usually be found ice skating and dancing. Visit her at ascholarlyskater.com.

Stories By Alexandra Kiely

Painting of the Week

Painting of the Week: Chateau Noir by Paul Cézanne

By Alexandra KielyJanuary 19, 2020

Today is Paul Cézanne’s birthday (he was born on January 19, 1839), so this Painting of the Week is dedicated to him. It is his landscape Chateau Noir, 1900/1904, at the National Gallery of Art in...
Museums And Exhibitions

Here’s the Scoop on the Frick Collection’s Upcoming Renovation

By Alexandra KielyJanuary 9, 2020

The Frick Collection is a beloved New York City institution. It was founded by millionaire industrialist and art collector Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), and it is located in Frick’s Fifth Avenue mansion. The museum features a...
Painting of the Week

Annunciation and Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico

By Alexandra KielyDecember 22, 2019

Our Christmas week Painting of the Week is Annunciation and Adoration of the Magi (c. 1431-2) by Fra Angelico, a panel painting that includes two scenes closely related to the story of Christmas. Fra Angelico (born...
Painting of the Week

Painting of the Week: The Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur

By Alexandra KielyDecember 8, 2019

Today’s Painting of the Week is The Horse Fair, 1852-5, the great masterpiece of French realist painter Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899). The photograph doesn’t properly convey how massive this painting is! Over 8 feet high and 16.5...
19th Century

Now at the Frick – Manet: Three Paintings from the Norton Simon Museum

By Alexandra KielyDecember 3, 2019

I love small exhibitions, because they allow me to savor each artwork and absorb all sorts of little details I wouldn’t otherwise. Manet: Three Paintings from the Norton Simon Museum, a trio of paintings by Édouard...
Art State of Mind

Book Review: Sister Wendy’s 100 Best-loved Paintings

By Alexandra KielyNovember 9, 2019

Late last year, the art world mourned the death of Sister Wendy Beckett (1930-2018), the quirky British nun who became a world-wide sensation as a television art commentator. Little did we know that the good sister...
Animals

Here Be Medieval Dragons

By Alexandra KielyOctober 24, 2019

Dragons are everywhere in popular culture. People make movies about them, collect stuffed animals of them, and dress up as them for Halloween. They have been staples of every major fantasy series in the past century....
Museums And Exhibitions

John Singer Sargent’s Charcoal Portraits at The Morgan Library

By Alexandra KielyOctober 10, 2019

John Singer Sargent: Portraits in Charcoal opened at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York on October 4th. It is the first-ever museum exhibition to focus exclusively on Sargent’s charcoal portrait drawings. It’s a terrific...
Seasons

Welcome Autumn with Jasper Cropsey’s Colorful Landscape Paintings

By Alexandra KielySeptember 23, 2019

Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823-1900) was an American artist of the Hudson River School movement. He is often called “The Painter of Autumn” because of his colorful autumnal landscape paintings. Since today is the first day of...
Impressionism

Matilda Browne, a Forgotten Female Impressionist

By Alexandra KielySeptember 14, 2019

Matilda Browne (1869-1947) was a successful artist in the early 20th century, but unfortunately, few people know her name or her art today. Matilda Browne showed promising artistic talent early in her life. Growing up in...