What is Next for Artobiography

A year of art, discovery, and an unexpected new direction

Exactly one year ago, I started this newsletter on a whim. The idea came to me, and I just went for it.

Now, 52 issues later, I can honestly say it's been one of the most enjoyable and unexpected experiences of my professional life.

Initially, I thought the newsletter would be primarily about art investing. However, as I learned more about it, I realized this wasn't the right direction for me.

The art industry is highly opaque about how it values art. As a former finance professional, I was not comfortable discussing investments that lacked transparency.

After four months of experimenting with different formats, two articles changed everything. My piece about Wassily Kandinsky sparked a constant flow of new subscribers, and a month later, an article about Edward Hopper doubled my audience.

For the past six months, I've followed a consistent approach to writing my articles, leading to wonderfully surprising connections and conversations.

But as this journey continued, I noticed my interests beginning to shift.

Even though I write about art in this newsletter, my professional background is in accounting and finance, not art or art history. As I visited nearly two dozen art museums last year alone, I found myself increasingly drawn to the origin of those museums and the collections that got them started.

The stories behind these museums were incredible. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's collection became the Whitney Museum in New York City. The intimate Rosengart Collection in Luzerne, Switzerland, and Marion Koogler McNay's collection (now McNay Art Museum) in San Antonio, Texas, completely fascinated me.

Next on my list is Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas, founded by Alice Walton.

As I noticed my new passion for discovering smaller and more intimate art museums, I realized that these museums are not as well known and are often hard to find. While the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art have undeniably spectacular collections, you can find some special gems at smaller museums.

This growing interest has led me to an exciting new project: AllArtMuseums.com, a comprehensive directory designed to help art lovers discover these hidden gems. Think of it as your personal guide to the world's most fascinating museums, both celebrated and undiscovered.

While the directory is still a work in progress (after all, there are thousands of museums around the world), I've already started publishing articles there and have many more planned for the upcoming weeks.

As I turn my attention to my new directory, I’m going to pause publishing this newsletter for the time being. I’m sure my directory journey will be full of surprises, just like this newsletter has been.

Thank you for being such loyal readers over the past year. Your enthusiasm and engagement have made this journey truly special. I hope you'll join me on my new adventure at AllArtMuseums.com.

P.S. I'd love to hear about your favorite museum! It could be anywhere in the world, from a grand institution to a hidden gem you discovered by chance.