Supernova of Art
Story by: Timothy Baler
Chilean-born art curator Carmen Bambach is one of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s most admired curators. Her knowledge and intricate eye to detail has given her the opportunity to put together remarkable exhibitions.
IF A PERSON COULD choose ten people throughout history to invite for dinner and the host for the evening was Chilean-born Carmen C. Bambach, perhaps the most celebrated curator at the New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, you would probably have a hard time finding a spot. At the head table would be a few painters, some of whom you know quite well. Michelangelo would be there. Leonardo da Vinci would be enjoying the soup. Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Raphael to his pals) might pour a little wine. To fill the other seats, Bambach would call on Filippo Lippi, Sandro Boticelli, Giotto di Bondone, Vincenzo Foppa. You get the idea. Since Bambach’s parents introduced her to Italian renaissance painters in her youth, she has had her eye and her heart wedded to the field. Her love began with drawing replicas of great works and took her – after her family moved to the United States in 1974 – to Yale University, where she eventually earned a PhD in Art History.
Recognized as one of the most accomplished Italian renaissance scholars in the world, Bambach celebrated the five-hundredth anniversary of Leonardo DaVinci’s death with a widely praised four-volume extravaganza called Leonardo da Vinci Rediscovered (Yale Press, 2019) that took her 24 years to write. It is called her magnum opus. Bambach, meanwhile, who lectures around the world, was introduced recently for a television interview as a virtual “rock star.” The show’s host, Tony Guida, called her a “supernova of the art world.” Bambach, meanwhile, reacted modestly. She enjoys praise, but let’s not over do it, folks.
Asked what is the most important quality for work as a successful art curator, Bambach will give you a one-word answer. “Empathy.” She has spent hours of intimate time with renaissance drawings, recreating their lines, absorbing their passions. She once said she enjoyed the “multi-faceted” changes of subject matter – two or three changes on one page – in da Vinci’s drawings because “it’s extraordinary to see him jumping from thought to thought.” She says this, indeed, with a supernova’s smile. Enjoying the soup, Leonardo?
Luckily for Bambach, scholarship and clout go hand in hand in the heady world of art loan negotiations. This is the back-door, steely-eyed poker game that lands a museum coveted works of art for major shows or special exhibits. These shows are serious events, anxiously anticipated around the globe. Curators focus laser-like on the exact work of art that will put a show in perspective – with the ultimate objective of taking the public on a journey through time. “Those have to be done in person and it’s the curator who does the negotiations,” Bambach said. Now how to say this? Top dog. Largest bone.
In so many words, if you are the owner of an irreplaceable Lippi sketch that is perfect for a six-month show, whom do you trust? If Bambach shows up with the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art backing her up, the trust level is high. The Met, more often than not, gets what it wants because it is the Met and because it is Bambach who is asking.
Bambach feels strongly that Hispanics are well represented in the art world, but they are under-recognized. She believes communication is critical, because you can’t become a scholar if you can’t communicate accurately. She also thinks Latinos should hold onto their identities. The generic label “Hispanics” is too vague. If you’re from Chile, say so. If you’re from Venezuela say so. People in Europe say they are French or German or Italian – not “European.” They say so proudly and the world appreciates their special contributions.
Asked how she got so far in life, Bambach will quickly say, “hard work.” Asked what she will be doing in ten years, she stops to think. She has the perfect job or something close to it. What comes next? “I really have no idea,” she said. +