Beyond Blue and White: Women Who Shaped the Global History of Ceramics

Robert Aronson is the fifth-generation director of Aronson Antiquairs and a leading authority on 17th- and 18th-century Dutch Delftware. After beginning his career at Sotheby’s in London, he transformed the family firm into a globally respected gallery, advising museums such as the NGV in Melbourne, The Met in New York, and the Cleveland Museum of Art.

He currently serves, amongst others, as a specialist in European ceramics on the Dutch Antiques Roadshow (Tussen Kunst & Kitsch), as a board member of the Royal Delft Museum, and as an expert within the European Commission’s Cultural Heritage working group. He is also a certified account manager for applied arts with the Dutch Police Academy’s national expertise network (LDM). Formerly Chairman and member of TEFAF’s Executive Committee, three-term chairman of the Royal Dutch Fine Art Dealers Association (KVHOK), and member of a national commission advising the Dutch government on art and antiques, Robert continues to shape the field through scholarship, connoisseurship, and international collaboration.

Genevieve Wheeler Brown is the founder of Genevieve Wheeler Decorative Art Advisory. She began her career with Christie’s in 1992 with the European Decorative Arts Department after working as an intern at The Phillips Collection, Washington D.C. in 1990. She was then asked to run Overseas Consignments at Christie’s Park Avenue, a department that handled inquiries for European based auctions including Indian and Southeast Asian art, Islamic Art, Miniatures, Textiles and Cameras. In 1995 Genevieve became the New York contact for sales of Fabergé and Russian Silver at Christie’s Park Avenue and most recently was a specialist in Fine Musical Instruments at Christie’s Rockefeller Center from 1998 to 2003.

A supporter of several fine and decorative art related institutions, Genevieve has served on the Board of the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York, served as a member of the Young Fellows Steering Committee of the Frick Collection from 1995 to 2005 and co-Chaired the Winter Antiques Show Young Collector’s Night, New York in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

Genevieve currently advises several organizations including Dumbarton House, a Federal period house museum in Georgetown, as a board member as well as for The Winter Show as a vice-chair of Opening Night and as co-founder of The Winter Show Luncheon.

Jody started at Christie’s in what became a career of more than 40 years in European decorative arts. In 1994, after 15 years in the Sculpture & Works of Art department, Jody shifted her attention to European Ceramics & Glass. By 2001, Jody took on the role of International Specialist Head of European Ceramics. In 2017, she became Chairman in New York for the Decorative Arts and International Co-Chairman for European Decorative Arts worldwide.

After a lengthy career with Christie’s, Jody set up on her own in October 2021 as JGW Advisory, LLC. She is an active member of several prestigious ceramic collecting societies: the American Ceramic Circle (ACC), where she served on the Board for eight years; the English Ceramics Circle (ECC); the French Porcelain Society (FPS); and the Connecticut Ceramics Study Circle, where she currently serves on the board as Treasurer. Jody retains a strong link to Christie’s as Senior International Consultant. Jody brings to JGW Advisory, LLC her full experience as an art appraiser specializing in the decorative arts of the 16th–early 20th centuries. She holds a B.A. in Art History from Vassar College.