I founded DCAM in late 2013 as a way of working intra-institutionally and in a cross-disciplinary manner. After more that 35 years of museum and foundation work, the only way to become less constrained was to become independent. Since then, I have been able to work with modern and contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design, and crafts without the burden of the art world's love of hierarchy.
I work directly with artists to guide and build their careers. I guide a handful of individuals to build refined and idiosyncratic collections. I create exhibitions and publications independently and for institutions around the world. In this regard, I am deeply committed to building cultural bridges through collaborative exchanges between institutions and maintaining those relationships in both good times and bad.
I am a New York Supreme Court-certified expert witness on Russian and German Modernism. In the course of my profession, I have developed an extensive portfolio of experience with forensic conservation, tracking forgeries, locating lost or stolen works of art, and dealing with issues of looting and restitution of cultural objects.
Current and past clients include Nationalmuseum (Stockholm), Albert Paley Archive (Rochester, NY), Eckbos Legat (Oslo), Studio Eleanor Moty (Tucson, AZ), Arnoldsche Art Publishers (Stuttgart), Russian American Foundation for the Arts (New York), George Economu Collection (Athens), GSM (Istanbul), Fondation Beyeler (Basel), Marlborough Gallery (New York), Hermitage Museum Foundation (New York), Hermitage Museum Foundation Israel (Tel Aviv), El Lissitzky Foundation (Eindhoven) and select international artists and collectors. Additionally, I have been and continue to serve as a Trustee on the boards and advisory boards of cultural organizations around the world (see C.V. below).
Background
I earned my M.A. and M. Phil. from Yale University in 1988 & 1990 and taught art history there, and later also at Columbia University and F.I.T.. I was the founding Executive Director of the Blouin Cultural Advisory Group from 2012-13. Prior to that, I worked as Executive Director of Lisson Gallery in London, Milan, and New York, where I oversaw its international sales of artists Daniel Buren, Tony Cragg, Dan Graham, Jonathan Monk, and Lawrence Weiner. I also oversaw the reorganization of the gallery's business model. From 2006-2011, I was Executive Director of Artpace San Antonio, an international artist residency program. During that time I also served as chair of the Contemporary Museum Subcommittee of the Association of Art Museum Directors (2010-11).
As Chief Curator of The Menil Collection, Houston (2001 –2006), I organized acclaimed exhibitions of Olafur Eliasson, Robert Gober, Donald Judd, Ellsworth Kelly, Kazimir Malevich, and Roberto Matta. From 1993 –2001, I worked as a curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where I organized numerous shows, including Kandinsky Watercolors, Max Beckmann in Exile, Frank Lloyd Wright: A Temple of Spirit, Contemporary Photography: An Expanded View, and Amazons of the Avant-Garde, among others. I also served on committees and teams advising on the construction and programming of the international Guggenheim network.
In 2006, the French Government honored me as a Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters in recognition of my accomplishments.
A complete resume can be found here: Matthew Drutt CV.