Female Voices in Art: Rachel Kaminsky, Art Dealer

Rachel Kaminsky (b. 1961, Boston, MA, US), raised in New York City, studied at New York University and began her career at Christie’s. She rose to become Department Head of Old Master Paintings in 1989. In 1994, Rachel was appointed Director of Otto Naumann Ltd., the foremost US gallery for northern Old Masters, and from 2002 to 2006, she was the Managing Director of Colnaghi, London. In 2006, she started her own business dealing in Old Masters and nineteenth century paintings. In 2014, Rachel was engaged as a Special Advisor to the National Gallery, London, for their $25.5m acquisition George Bellows, Men of the Docks . On behalf of Sotheby’s, she was an expert witness on auction house procedures in a London High Court trial (2013-2014). Rachel is on the TEFAF International Advisory Board and a selection committee member for the TEFAF Showcase and Museum Restoration Fund. She was a trustee of the Worcester Art Museum, MA (2012-2019). Rachel is the Program Director for Artfully Dressed: Women in the Art World .

Could you tell us something about your role in the art world?

I’ve had numerous professional roles in the art world including auction house department head, art dealer, art advisor, agent, museum trustee, expert witness in a London high court trial, as well as art fair advisory board member and art fair exhibitor. These various roles have led to an equally important and rewarding one – mentor to young women looking to pursue a career in the Old Master market and succeed in a male-dominated field.

What did you enjoy about being a part of this project?

As the first female Head of Old Master Paintings at Christie’s New York and the first female Managing Director of Colnaghi, established in 1766 and 1760, respectively, I am proud to participate in this landmark exhibition featuring women in the art world – and to be in the company of so many accomplished professional women.

Do you have a favourite artist?

Rather than favourite artists, I tend to have favourite schools, although the list changes as my career and interests evolve. Right now, I am particularly excited by British Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite paintings, Belgian Symbolism and artworks produced in Germany and Austria during the interwar period, a time of extraordinary creativity, social change and crisis.

What is your earliest memory involving art?

My earliest art memory comes from my mother. During childhood museum visits, I would stand in front of paintings by Edgar Degas and imitate the ballet step.

Do you have any special thoughts about the position of women in the art world?

My background is in the commercial world of Old Master paintings where historically few women have held prominent or senior positions. Professional women have made great strides in so many areas, including some sectors of the art world – as witness by this exhibition. Yet, remarkably, in 2018 there are almost no Old Master dealerships owned and run by women, and it was twenty-nine years before the most prestigious art fair for Old Masters, TEFAF Maastricht, named a woman to its board.

What are you wearing, and is there a story behind it?

I am wearing a floor-length white organza shawl by a Chinese designer and friend Han Feng, who I first met in Shanghai in 2007. Like much of her work, it features geometrical shapes and an asymmetric design. These abstract fabric flowers are her signature design and feature in much of her work. Han Feng launched her first ready-to-wear collection in 1993 and made her costume design debut with Anthony Minghella’s Madama Butterfly at the English National Opera and Met Opera. Her clothing design and installations have been featured in major exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Neue Galerie and Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, amongst others.

What impact has the current health crisis had on your daily practice?

My art dealing business, like the art market in general, is cyclical. Spring is usually a busy buying time, but since COVID-19 burst into the world auctions and art fairs have been cancelled, and travel is impossible, so my activities have been considerably reduced. That said, I have been surprisingly busy with work related things and recently completed one of the most delightful and serendipitous transactions of my career with an important collector, new to me. So far we have only met on Zoom. There are silver linings to every situation.

Is it changing your views on Art?

No. Although recently, the Black Lives Matter movement in the America has initiated an important discussion around art, in particular statuary, and what is appropriate in public spaces.

Are you creating new initiatives and ways of working and communicating?

The last few months have provided a unique opportunity to decompress and address some long overdue personal and professional projects, like finally creating a LinkedIn profile and reflecting on the next chapter of my career. Looking back, my previous pace seems almost unimaginable. As the world begins to open up, it will be interesting to see what the new-normal looks like and which short term changes turn into long term changes. My immediate wish is that I could get on a plane to Europe - and that I owned stock in Zoom.