D'HUMIÈRES NAMED DIRECTOR, CHIEF CURATOR OF OU’S FRED JONES JR. MUSEUM OF ART

jc/6-27-07

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE           

CONTACT:  OU Public Affairs, (405) 325-1701

        ARDMORE – Ghislain d’Humières, former assistant director at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco who also has held positions at Sotheby’s and Christie’s, was appointed director and chief curator of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma during the June meeting of the OU Board of Regents.
 
        “Ghislain d’Humières will bring to this position as director of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art a wide range of international experience in the art world,” said OU President David L. Boren. “He is highly regarded by artistic leaders not only in this country but also in Europe. He brings a high level of creative energy and breadth of vision to the museum, which is already recognized among the top university art museums in the U.S.”

        A native of France, d’Humières also will serve as the Wylodean and Bill Saxon Chair and as an associate professor.  D’Humières comes to OU from the Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas, where he is senior development officer for fine and decorative arts, under Dr. Edmund Pillsbury.  Prior to that, he was assistant director of the De Young Museum under Harry Parker III, where his responsibilities included the inter-departmental managerial and logistical supervision of the new museum opening. The original de Young Museum was severely damaged in 1989’s Loma Prieta Earthquake.

        D’Humières has worked for Christie’s Auction House in Los Angeles and in Geneva and for Sotheby’s Auction House in London, New York and Los Angeles.  In those roles, he collected and appraised works of art from around the world and coordinated major auctions, tours and special events.

        Earlier in his career, d’Humières was associated with Adrian Alan Ltd. Dealer in Fine Antiques in London.

        D’Humières spent 2003-04 as a volunteer for the Asociacion Casa Alianza helping homeless children in Guatemala, performing educational, research and fund-raising activities.  He then founded a donation fund to continue supporting Guatemalan children. In July 2000, he participated as an antique jewelry specialist in Los Angeles for a segment of the popular television show Antiques Roadshow.

        He received his diploma in 1999 from the Gemological Institute of America and is a member of the Gemological Appraisal Association.

        D’Humières earned his master’s degree in history with honors from the University of Paris X-Nanterre and has conducted work toward his doctoral degree in history and license of history of art from the University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne.

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