MUNTHE ART MONDAY: BLYTHE BOLTON

Please introduce yourself and tell us about what you do.

My name is Blythe Bolton and I’m the EU Regional Managing Director for Affordable Art Fair. Edinburgh-raised but now based in Brussels, my role involves supporting teams in Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Stockholm and Vienna to organize art fairs that inspire people to discover the joy of collecting art.

In my role, I wear a lot of hats, and every day is different. At our last Amsterdam fair,I gave out free art advice to visitors. Sometimes, I can be found taking screws out of walls when the event is over and other days, I’m negotiating supplier contracts or visiting galleries.

When I’m not travelling to the fairs, I work mostly from home in a former bookshop which I share with my boyfriend and treasured art collection.

Blyhte is wearing our KIARAN CASHMERE KNIT and HOLLIA TOP.

Can you name some other female (curators, gallery owners or women in the arts) that inspire you and explain why they do so?

I’m a huge Judy Chicago fan and ‘Dinner Party’ work is an all time favourite. She once explained, ‘I believe in art that is connected to real human feeling, that extends itself beyond the limits of the art world to embrace all people who are striving for alternatives in an increasingly dehumanized world.’ This sentiment really resonates with me. Nicole Ex and her team at a beautiful quarterly magazine called SeeAllThis is very inspiring to me. The publication bridges art, thought, and living, so elegantly and reading it encourages me to embrace a slower, more heart-led way of living.

I’m also inspired by the colourful, million-miles-an-hour energy of art historian, Cathelijne Blok, who blazes up the online landscape with her passion for promoting female artists and making art history more accessible.However, my biggest inspiration is my grandma who, although she doesn’t work in the arts, told me at a very young age that it’s ‘art and lamps that are the fastest way to make a house feel like a home.’ I think the proudest moment of my career was seeing how much she enjoyed visiting on of the art fairs I directed.

What would you like people to notice in the way you work with your curation?

If I was to summarise in two words they would be welcoming and ever-evolving. At Affordable Art Fair, we’re trying to create an atmosphere where people feel inspired to own art. At the core of the company, lies a desire to make art more accessible to everyone and support living artists. Through the curation of the fairs, we’re always looking to show a broad range of styles, techniques and subjects.

Unlike most exhibitions or mid-tier art fairs, visitors are encouraged to take their new artwork home with them when they leave and, as a consequence of that, the walls of the fair on Wednesday look completely different by Sunday night. It’s amazing to see thousands of artworks going off to new homes each year.

Could you explain more about how being a woman has affected your career?

At St Andrews University, in Scotland, I studied Art History, and this course was known as the ‘husband-hunter’s degree’; Prince William and Kate Middleton met on the same course a few years prior. Therefore, before my career had even started, it was assumed by many that I wouldn’t find a career where I could use what I’d learnt. Having now been working in the art world for over 10 years, I’m glad I followed my curiosity onto that art history course!

Blyhte is wearing our REWARI PANTS.

What has been the most challenging aspect of being a woman in the arts?

Back in my mid-20s, when I worked for a gallery participating at art fairs in places like Miami and New York, my male colleagues wouldn’t think twice about going out partying after work. They threw themselves into all the social fun of the art world. Meanwhile, I would be back at the hotel writing emails because I felt so strongly that I needed to prove myself. I think if I could go back, I would encourage myself to relax and enjoy the ride a little bit more.