CHICAGO, IL.- The Art Institute of Chicago announced the appointment of Dr. Christopher (Kit) Maxwell to the position of Chair and Eloise W. Martin Curator of Applied Arts of Europe. In his role, Kit will lead the Applied Arts of Europe Department through continued gallery enhancements, strategic acquisitions, and dynamic gallery rotations. He has taken on this role upon Ellenor Alcorn’s retirement from the position.

Kit joined the museum in 2022 as the Samuel and M. Patricia Grober Curator of the department. He brought expertise in European ceramics and glass with a special interest in the impacts of global trade and colonial expansion on the development of European design. Through his work, Kit has contributed to the growth and development of the Applied Arts of Europe department, expanding the stories we tell through acquisitions and collection research.

“In just a few years, Kit has had a significant impact on the museum and the department,” said James Rondeau, President and Eloise W. Martin Director at the Art Institute of Chicago. “His work and collaboration played an essential role in the spectacular redesign of the recently opened Eloise W. Martin Galleries. We look forward to how his vision, expertise, and dedication will continue to build on the momentum of the department.”

The new Applied Arts of Europe galleries opened in July after a multi-year redesign project. The galleries present more than 300 objects from the Art Institute’s outstanding collection of furniture, silver, ceramics, and glass made between 1600 and 1900 and feature a new design vocabulary with cutting-edge casework and lighting. Working closely with Ellenor Alcorn, renowned Barcelona-based architectural firm Barozzi Veiga, and other colleagues, Kit co-curated this elegant installation to showcase the creativity and innovation that defined European design during an era of extraordinary transformation.

“I feel honored to have had the opportunity to work with Ellenor during her time at the museum and benefitted enormously from her incredible experience and generous collegiality,” said Kit Maxwell. “This department has so much to offer visitors—from the Thorne Miniature Rooms to the newly designed ceramics gallery—and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to engage with our audiences in new and exciting ways.”

Prior to the Art Institute, Kit served as curator of early modern glass at the Corning Museum of Glass where he was responsible for collections from about 1250 to 1820, and researched innovations of 18th-century British glass and its relationship to global trade and colonial expansion. His 2021 exhibition at Corning, In Sparkling Company: Glass and the Costs of Social Life in Britain During the 1700s shed new light on the significance of glass in domestic, court, commercial, and scientific settings. Before the Corning Museum of Glass, Kit worked in several different capacities at the Royal Collection Trust, and from 2005 through 2010 he held the position of assistant curator in the Ceramics and Glass Section at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Kit received his BA in the History of Art from University of Cambridge, his MA in Decorative Arts from University of London, and his PhD from University of Glasgow. His recent post-doctoral work includes a research degree in Nazi-era Provenance at the University of Glasgow, and another in Caribbean Studies at the University of Warwick.