Posts by Kelly Richman-Abdou

Kelly Richman-Abdou

Kelly Richman-Abdou is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. An art historian living in Paris, Kelly was born and raised in San Francisco and holds a BA in Art History from the University of San Francisco and an MA in Art and Museum Studies from Georgetown University. When she’s not writing, you can find Kelly wandering around Paris, whether she’s leading a tour (as a guide, she has been interviewed by BBC World News America and France 24) or simply taking a stroll with her husband and two tiny daughters.
Architecture
July 13, 2023

How Haussmann Architecture Transformed All of Paris With Modern Buildings

As one of the world's most walkable cities, Paris makes wandering around an ideal way to experience life in the French capital. As you stroll along its streets, you'll encounter all kinds of eye-catching sites, like its world-famous metro entrances, one-of-a-kind storefronts, and, towering above the rest, its historic Haussmann apartment buildings. Designed by Baron Georges Eugène Haussmann as a means to modernize 19th-century Paris, these buildings have since become a symbol of the city's traditional charm.

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Art History
July 4, 2023

Romanticism: An Art Movement That Emphasized Emotion and Turned to the Sublime

Throughout art history, many major art movements emerged in response to existing artistic approaches. Pre-Raphaelite painting, for example, was born out of a dislike of the Renaissance, while Rococo artists built upon the opulence of Baroque art. Though this phenomenon has manifested time and time again, it reached a peak with the onset of Romanticism, an early 19th-century movement that rejected the formality of Neoclassicism and, instead, embraced emotion.

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Art History
July 1, 2023

The Stories and Symbolism Behind 10 of Frida Kahlo’s Most Famous Paintings

Mexican painter Frida Kahlo is renowned for her symbolic subject matter, colorful canvases, and extensive series of self-portraits. Inspired by “whatever passes through [her] head without any other consideration,” her paintings are deeply personal. Given the intimate and emblematic nature of her pieces, their messages and motifs may seem too obscure to interpret. When viewed through a contextual lens, however, the meanings behind her poignant paintings begin to materialize.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.