Conversation with Charlotte Appleyard
Director of Development and Business Innovation, Royal Academy of Arts
What leads you to look at art, visiting a specific museum or do you go out to see certain artists?
Curiosity. Whilst there are certain museums I always go to, I am as interested in what is going on in project spaces and commercial galleries. What I like most about Instagram is that I can see what artists and curators I admire are looking at.
Where did your interest in the arts come from?
My parents, who took me to museums, galleries and exposed me to great films and books from an early age. I really vividly remember standing in front of Warhol’s Marilyn diptych at the Tate when I was about 13. It was the first time a work of art really hit me, it felt alive to me – more than a relic on a wall. After that, I was hooked.
Have you noticed the younger generation showing more of an interest in art these days?
I don’t think this generation is more interested than previous ones, simply that social media means people can share their interests more easily, so it seems as if art and visual culture are more prevalent because we’re constantly exposed to it through our newsfeeds.