Dale Chihuly is responsible for elevating the status of glassblowing from craft to an art form by creating installation and environmental art, using glass. I’ll discuss the amazing Chihuly exhibit at the MFA Boston in 2011.

Best known for his military achievements, Napoleon I expanded the Louvre and redecorated his residence at the Tuileries Palace. I’ll explain why he chose bees to adorn his clothing and furnishings.

Bela L. Pratt may not be a household name like Bella Swan, the character from the ‘Twilight’ series, but this Boston sculptor was an important artist during the early 20th century. I’ll discuss his accomplishments and acquaintances.

Van Gogh was a Dutch artist who influenced modern art, despite his short life and personal rejections. He left the art world a plethora of paintings in a variety of styles. I will discuss what really tells us 'volumes' about his inner thoughts.

Although the identity of Sargent’s ‘Madame X’ was revealed as Madame Pierre Gautreau, why was this painting so scandalous at the time? I’ll discuss the exhibit in Boston and NYC.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s beloved painting is one of the most recognizable in the world. Over 100 years old, it still delights us with its color and subject matter. I will discuss his friends as models and the techniques Renoir used to connect them.

Georges Seurat was a Post Impressionist artist who studied color theory and originated Pointillism, a systematic approach to applying multiple dots to a canvas. Just a century later, British artist Damien Hirst would create his ‘spot’ paintings. I’ll discuss their similarities and differences.

Born in Dublin to Irish and French parents, then emigrating to the US, Augustus Saint-Gaudens was lauded by President Theodore Roosevelt and historian Lorado Taft. I’ll explain why he was called ‘the greatest sculptor of the late 19th century’.

Chartres Cathedral in France, Salisbury Cathedral in England, and Siena Cathedral in Italy will be compared, relative to each country’s interpretation of the Gothic style.

‘The Taking of Christ’ was on loan to Boston College from Ireland in 1999. The Caravaggio painting was the basis for Jonathan Harr’s book, ‘The Lost Painting.’ I will discuss the controversy over the painting’s true identity, its provenance and my firsthand reactions.