It was over four centuries ago (January 8th, 1632, to be exact) that Gerardus Vossius delivered his inaugural lecture titled De historiae utilitate (On the usefulness of history) at the opening of the Athenaeum Illustre. The following day, Caspar Barlaeus delivered his lecture Mercator Sapiens (Wise Merchant) and together, these two learned and internationally renowned professors established the foundations of what was to become the University of Amsterdam. It was at this illustrious tertiary institution that Monique Deul earned a master’s degree in Law before embarking on a successful career in music – ultimately working with the London Symphony Orchestra as its Patron Administrator and the Wigmore Hall as their Head of Development.
In 2012 there was another successful career switch when she founded , launching her first exhibition at Blondeau & Cie. Marc Blondeau, a former chairman of Sotheby’s, France, had established an art consultancy business in in 2017 that “His (Blondeau) support at the beginning made all the difference… (and) in 2015 I was asked by to curate a large space showcasing the best in contemporary craft which was another fantastic opportunity”. In that same interview Deul responds to a question regarding the Advisory Board by saying that she “has been incredibly fortunate with all the support received from many people who generously shared their time, expertise, and friendship. It has been the best part of setting up ”. Everything I have read about suggests that Deul is determined to create the same support for artists as she was given. Currently based in the same city that houses the headquarters of The International Academy of Ceramics, Deul has earned the same global reach, from within Geneva, that IAC does.
