Victoria Noel-Johnson

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Victoria Noel-Johnson is an independent British art historian and curator, specialising in early 20th century European art, with expertise in the work of Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978). Her analysis of important 20th century artists, as well as the reconstruction of now-dispersed European art collections and historic exhibitions, forms the basis of recent and forthcoming publications and projects.

Between 2002-2005, Victoria worked at Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico (Rome), returning in 2008-2017 as the Foundation's Curator. During her 10-year tenure, she managed the Foundation’s extensive art collection, oversaw its international exhibition programme, including the organisation of shows in Russia and Brazil. As well as curating exhibitions in Italy and abroad, she published in accompanying catalogues, publications and journals, and provided academic supervision, coordinated and/or edited various publications such as La Casa-museo de Chirico (2009) and Giorgio de Chirico. Catalogo ragionato dell’opera sacra (2012). In 2017, she published the extensive De Chirico and the United Kingdom (c. 1916-1978), which was nominated for the William MB Berger Prize for British Art History (2018).

Over recent years, she has curated numerous exhibitions with accompanying catalogues, a selection of which include:

Giorgio de Chirico: 1924, Museo di Arti Decorative, Fondazione Accorsi-Ometto, Turin, 8 November 2024 - 2 March 2025;

Giorgio de Chirico: Metafisica continua, Galleria d'arte moderna, Palazzo Sarcinelli, Conegliano (Veneto), 11 October 2023 - 17 March 2024;

Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy: Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool, Helly Nahmad Gallery, New York, 9 May – 29 July 2023;

Lee Miller - Man Ray: Fashion, Love, War, Palazzo Franchetti, Venice, 5 November 2022 – 10 April 2023;

Joan Miró: The Essence of Past and Present Things, BAM – Musée des Beaux Arts, Mons, Belgium, 8 October 2022 – 8 January 2023;

Picasso, de Chirico and Dalì: A Dialogue with Raphael (curated by B. Avanzi and V. Noel-Johnson), Museo d'arte moderna di Rovereto e Trento (MART), Rovereto, 2 May - 29 August 2021;

Giorgio de Chirico: The Changing Face of Metaphysical Art, Palazzo Ducale, Genoa, 30 March - 1 September 2019.

Victoria holds a first-class degree in History of Art (M.A. Hons) from the University of Edinburgh and received her Ph.D from the University of Glasgow with the thesis Taking possession of the past: Giorgio de Chirico and the great masters.

She is a member of ICOM (International Council of Museums) and ICRA (International Catalogue Raisonné Association) .

Early 20th century Italian art, with a focus on Giorgio de Chirico's artwork and his influence on wide-ranging artistic movements including Surrealism, Pop Art, and areas of Postmodernism;
The revival of classicism in 20th century European art, such as the work of artists associated with the ‘Return to order’ (retour à l’ordre) phenomenon in post-bellum Europe;
The reconstruction and revision of historically-important 20th century exhibitions and art collections, with particular emphasis on newly-discovered archival documentation.