Bard Graduate Center is devoted to the study of decorative arts, design history, and material culture through research, advanced degrees, exhibitions, publications, and events.

Bard Graduate Center advances the study of decorative arts, design history, and material culture through its object-centered approach to teaching, research, exhibitions, publications, and events.

At BGC, we study the human past and present through their material expressions. We focus on objects and other material forms—from those valued for their aesthetic elements to the ordinary things used in everyday life.

Our accomplished interdisciplinary faculty inspires and prepares students in our MA and PhD programs for successful careers in academia, museums, and the private sector. We bring equal intellectual rigor to our acclaimed exhibitions, award-winning catalogues and scholarly publications, and innovative public programs, and we view all of these integrated elements as vital to our curriculum.

BGC’s campus comprises a state-of-the-art academic programs building at 38 West 86th Street, a gallery at 18 West 86th Street, and a residence hall at 410 West 58th Street. A new collection study center will open at 8 West 86th Street in 2026.

Founded by Dr. Susan Weber in 1993, Bard Graduate Center has become the preeminent institute for academic research and exhibition of decorative arts, design history, and material culture. BGC is an accredited unit of Bard College and a member of the Association of Research Institutes in Art History (ARIAH).

Curious about the upcoming exhibition Eileen Gray? Check out the FAQ below.

What is this exhibition about?
Eileen Gray is the first in-depth exhibition in the United States to examine the total oeuvre of designer and architect Eileen Gray (1878-1976). The exhibition, curated by Cloé Pitiot, is comprised of approximately 200 works, including never before publicly exhibited furniture, lacquer works, architectural drawings, and archival materials. The exhibition offers new insights about Gray’s long and distinguished career that began in the early 1900s and continued until her death in 1976, with particular attention to her practice as an architect.

Who was Eileen Gray?
Eileen Gray was a pioneer in modern design and architecture, and one of the few women to practice professionally in those fields before World War II.

How will the exhibition be organized?
Eileen Gray is organized in five thematic sections that consider critical stages of Gray’s career. It begins with her early training as a painter in London at the dawn of the twentieth century, alongside contemporaries such as Wyndham Lewis, and her arrival in France in 1902, where she would spend the rest of her life. It follows her early experiments in lacquer and weaving, and the establishment of Galerie Jean Désert in Paris, where she sold furniture and rugs, and exhibited modern art. Special emphasis is given to her practice as an architect. Throughout the exhibition, Gray’s seminal works are presented alongside a rich trove of photographic and archival documents, some never before shown in public.

What can we learn from this exhibition?
According to BGC Gallery Director Nina Stritzler-Levine, “Eileen Gray remains fundamentally underestimated or misunderstood by most critics and historians.” Eileen Gray has been long known for her furnishings and interiors, while many other artistic practices have been less familiar. Showcasing previously unexhibited loans, Eileen Gray, will offer new insights about the full scope of her career.

What is the film In Conversation with Eileen Gray?
As a companion to the Eileen Gray exhibition, Bard Graduate Center is producing a new film—In Conversation with Eileen Gray—excerpts from which are included in the exhibition. The film is based on an unreleased 1973 interview with Gray by Andrew Hodgkinson. In the interview, Gray discusses a portfolio of her work that she compiled in the 1950s. In Conversation with Eileen Gray is directed by French filmmaker Michael Pitiot, prepared for the screen by Philippe Garner and Cloé Pitiot, and will debut Saturday, February 29, at 2:30 pm with a roundtable discussion featuring the director and others. In Conversation with Eileen Gray has been generously funded by Elise Jaffe + Jeffrey Brown.

Will there be a catalogue?
Yes, the exhibition is accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue designed by Irma Boom and distributed by Yale University Press.

Will events accompany the exhibition?
Yes, a full list of programming is available here.