Susan Weber Faculty Report 2023–24

Photo by Rathkopf Photography.

Two exhibitions dominated my curatorial and scholarly work this past year. The first, Sèvres Extraordinaire! Sculpture from 1740 until Today, is organized by BGC in conjunction with Sèvres, Manufacture et Musée nationaux, and will open in September. As the first comprehensive history of the making and artistry of sculpture at Sèvres from its beginnings in the early eighteenth century to the present, it will showcase more than one hundred and eighty objects, including busts, medallions, vases, and table centerpieces. Many have never been on view, and others have never been shown outside of France. Visitors will learn about the institution’s long history of artist collaborations that continues to the present day, and some of the contemporary objects may surprise them. Finalizing the checklist and the show’s design, catalogue, and interpretation consumed my time. I continued work on the multi-author catalogue that will accompany Philip Speakman Webb (1831–1915): Architect and Designer of the Arts and Crafts Movement, including research at institutions in Great Britain and the United States and refinement of my chapters on furniture design, stained glass, table glass, and tiles. I visited Webb’s London and country houses and organized two authors’ meetings at the Victoria and Albert Museum to shape the catalogue. Selection of objects and drawings for the show advances.

In addition, I turned a paper I delivered on the friendship and careers of architect-designers E. W. Godwin and William Burges at the Burges and Friends Conference at Worcester College, University of Oxford, into an essay for 19: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century, which will be published this coming autumn.

Finally, I am thrilled that BGC will extend its presence on our block with the purchase and development of 8 West 86th Street. It will house our beautiful and ever-expanding Study Collection. I am excited about what this new addition will offer to our faculty and students in the field of decorative arts and material culture.