Growing up in Dallas, Esther Bell loved all kinds of art, but it wasn’t until she began to travel through Europe that her interest in 17th and 18th century European paintings took hold.
“My whole family was interested in arts and humanities and visiting museums,” Bell said. “But when I started to travel to Europe as an undergraduate, I wanted to turn my scholarly attention to studying old master paintings.”
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
She fills a post vacated nearly two years ago when veteran curator of European art Lynn Orr was let go after 29 years at the museum. Orr’s departure riled many in the art world, and came during a time of tense labor negotiations and a lack of leadership after the death of museum Director John Buchanan in late 2011. (A settlement has been reached between the museum and Orr.)
Colin Bailey, hired as the Fine Arts Museums’ director in June 2013, said of Bell: “We are delighted to appoint someone of Bell’s caliber who brings a depth of knowledge and expertise that will benefit our future exhibitions and the museums’ permanent collections. Partnerships with other institutions, such as our international accord with the Musée du Louvre, will be enriched by Bell’s involvement.”
Bell is a former Fulbright scholar with an affiliation at the Musée du Louvre and was awarded a Theodore Rousseau fellowship by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While at the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Morgan Library, Bell was involved in organizing major exhibitions of works by French painter François Boucher, as well as shows of Degas, Renoir, Rembrandt, Ingres and Delacroix.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
“I’m very much looking forward to mining the collection of European paintings and getting to know the collection really well,” Bell said. “I’m also looking forward to publishing aspects of the collection that haven’t been highlighted before.”
She added, “I have friends and family in San Francisco. I love the city and its energy, and its support of the arts.”
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco have been drawing record-setting crowds in recent years, with more than 1.5 million visitors during fiscal year 2012-13, and are in the top five most visited museums in the United States, according to the Art Newspaper. The organization’s budget was $55 million last year, with about 21 percent coming from the city and the rest from admissions, private contributions, earned revenue and endowment support.
