Billy Baldwin & Adam Lewis

I was invited to attend a private lecture at the Friends of the American Wing at the Baltimore Museum of Art featuring Adam Lewis as the guest speaker, talking about Baltimorean, Billy Baldwin.I’d heard Adam speak at an all-day symposium on Billy Baldwin several years ago at Evergreen House and have a copy of his terrific book on Billy Baldwin.  This lecture was every bit as good, and even more personal. It seemed to be a bit more reflective, and in light of the recent death of Albert Hadley, whose service Adam had attended in Nashville earlier this week, he was probably thinking about all of the great decorators who have now gone, and possibly wondering who will fill their shoes.The lecture was illustrated with slides of many of the gorgeous rooms BB had decorated, many of which look as fresh today as they did 50 or 60 years ago. I was fortunate to sit next to Adam at a small dinner after the lecture and was charmed to hear his stories about the “old” days in New York, when decorators had clients like Babe Paley, Diana Vreeland and the Gilbert Millers. Adam said that one client like any of those, and a decorator would be set for a while. Also at dinner was the fun and funny Michael Flanigan, one of the stars of Antiques Roadshow who told stories of life on the Roadshow… and life with the Roadshow roadies!

If you haven’t read Adam Lewis’s biographies of either Billy Baldwin or Van Day Truex, I would recommend them. And if you’ve not visited the BMA and their stellar collections, I also recommend those.

Thanks to Barbara who invited me to the lecture and to Stiles, who invited me to dinner. It was a great evening!