THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM ANNOUNCES SERENA URRY AS NEW CHIEF CONSERVATOR

(October 29, 2012)

The Cincinnati Art Museum is pleased to announce Serena Urry as Chief Conservator.
Before coming to the Cincinnati Art Museum, Serena served as Senior Conservator of Paintings
at the Barnes Foundation, preparing its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection for the
historic move to downtown Philadelphia. Prior to that, Serena was Conservator of Paintings at
the Detroit Institute of Arts where she conserved paintings ranging in date from the 14 th to the
20th century. Among the exhibitions she worked on were American Beauty (2002-2004) and
Masterpieces from the Detroit Institute of Arts at TEFAF in 2005.

Serena has a B.A. from Tufts University, and a M.A. in art history and a diploma in
Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University. She was awarded a
residency by the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio in 1996, and a fellowship by Save Venice in
Venice in 1999-2000. She has lectured and published about many of the conservation projects
she has undertaken. “We are so excited to have somebody of Serena’s experience and insights
joining the Art Museum. She will be able to build on the terrific work past Chief Conservators
have done to make our art shine forth in all its beauty,” says Cincinnati Art Museum Director
Aaron Betsky.

Serena grew up in the Boston area and holds dual American and Italian citizenship.
She has six nephews and nieces in an extended family that stretches from East cost to the West.
Serena looks forward to exploring all that Cincinnati has to offer.

THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM ANNOUNCES ESTHER BELL AS NEW CURATOR OF EUROPEAN
PAINTING, SCULPTURE, AND DRAWINGS

(October 29, 2012)

The Cincinnati Art Museum is pleased to announce Esther Bell as Curator of European
Painting, Sculpture and Drawings. Esther received her doctorate from the Institute of Fine Arts,
New York University with a specialization in 17th and 18th century European art. She received
a Masters in the history of art at Williams College and a bachelor of arts from the University of
Virginia.

With over ten years of experience in some of the nation’s finest museums, Dr. Bell has
worked at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA; the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York; and the Morgan Library & Museum, New York. At the Morgan, she
recently organized exhibitions such as Ingres at the Morgan and Rembrandt’s World: Dutch
Drawings from the Clement C. Moore Collection.

Dr. Bell lived extensively in Paris during her graduate work; she was a Fulbright Scholar
with an affiliation at the Musée du Louvre, Paris and a Theodore Rousseau Fellow in Paris
in association with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has delivered lectures in many
distinguished international venues such as the University of St. Andrews, Scotland; the Musée
des Beaux-Arts, Nantes; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and she has published
numerous articles and exhibition catalogues. “Esther brings an enthusiasm to her art history
that is positively electrifying. She combines thorough knowledge and expertise with the desire
to have everybody share her love of art, and we look forward to her contributions here,” says
Cincinnati Art Museum Director Aaron Betsky.

Esther is a self-proclaimed “foodie” and enjoys travel, reading fiction, and yoga. She
will move to Cincinnati with her husband, Jason, and they look forward to exploring Blue Grass
music, Graeter’s, and the local contemporary art scene.