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Alexandra Alevizatos Kirtley '83 Shares her Appreciation of Art
Alexandra Alevizatos Kirtley ’83 has fond memories of being transfixed at an early age by the stories depicted in art. Along with her parents and siblings, Chris Alevizatos ’76 and Dolly Alevizatos von Hollen ’80, Alexandra frequently traveled to Europe, where she developed her appreciation of art. After Calvert, Alexandra graduated from Roland Park Country School. Further education at Hamilton College and the University of Delaware-Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, where she earned her master’s degree in art history, as well as more travel, led her to a curatorial post at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA). At the museum, she has enjoyed an accomplished 17-year career as The Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American Decorative Arts.
Alexandra has orchestrated numerous acquisitions through gift and purchase during her time at the PMA. She curated the retrospective Colonial Philadelphia Porcelain: The Art of Bonnin & Morris exhibition in 2008, as well as the groundbreaking exhibition Classical Splendor: Painted Furniture for a Grand Philadelphia House in 2016. She is currently writing the first-ever catalog of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s early American furniture collection, to be published in 2020.
Mrs. Keene’s art class at Calvert School, coupled with Calvert’s geography and history curriculum, laid the foundation for Alexandra. She learned that art history connects many disciplines, and to this day, she carries her Calvert School skills with her. Without her strong grammar background, writing skills, and public speaking abilities, she would not be able to convey her knowledge effectively to the public through presentations and publications. Alexandra lectures around the country and abroad and is the author of numerous books and articles.
When installing exhibits in galleries at the PMA, she chooses works of art that tell a story visually. One of Alexandra’s favorite Calvert memories includes drawing freehand maps in geography lessons, part of the strong roots so characteristic of a Calvert education.
Calvert School is a coed independent lower and middle school.
