Curators

Stéphane Treilhou is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and educator with a rich background spanning painting, art restoration and historical research. He trained in fine arts at the Universities of Montpellier and St-Etienne and specialized in art conservation and restoration at the prestigious University of Paris-Sorbonne.

As a curator-restorer, Treilhou has worked extensively on mural paintings, particularly ancient wall art, combining his expertise in materials and techniques with scientific studies conducted at the Laboratory of Research on Historical Monuments (LRMH) in France. His career has taken him through France’s historic churches and across the Mediterranean to culturally significant sites like Pompeii in Italy, Delos in Greece, and Alexandria in Egypt.

Treilhou’s artistic journey began at the age of 23 with his first solo exhibition in the early 1990s. Over the years, he has consistently showcased his work as a painter and engraver, blending his profound understanding of materials and craftsmanship with a personal creative vision. His research interests have since expanded to the reconstruction of historical keyboard instruments, particularly clavichords from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, further underscoring his fascination with the intersection of art, history and craftsmanship.

Since 2018, Treilhou has been imparting his knowledge and passion to students at the American University of Paris (AUP). His teaching emphasizes the significance of materials, techniques, and the transmission of traditional knowledge, often integrating study trips to enrich the learning experience.

In the liberal arts tradition, which defines Treilhou’s approach to teaching quite well, he looks forward to developing new projects with faculty and students in other disciplines such as film studies, computer sciences and fashion. Next spring, he will launch a fine arts class in weaving open to fashion majors.

In August 2023, Treilhou assumed the role of curator for AUP’s University Gallery during Jonathan Shimony’s sabbatical year. His curatorial approach and programming for the 2024-2025 academic year centers on themes such as environmental sustainability, the promotion of the new French schools of painting, such as the nouveaux paysagistes and enhancing quality of life in professional and educational settings through art.

Treilhou’s work, both in practice and pedagogy, embodies a deep respect for heritage, an innovative spirit, and a dedication to fostering meaningful dialogue between art, history and contemporary issues.

Jonathan Shimony graduated from Harvard University’s Department of Visual and Environmental Studies with highest honors in 1987. He later studied in Japan at the Tokyo School of Art and again in the US at the Massachusetts College of Art. In 1994, he won a Fulbright Scholarship to France to be an artist in residence at the Ecole Duperré (National School of Applied Arts). He has lived in Paris ever since.

Shimony has been a Professor of Fine Arts at The American University of Paris since 2007. Among other classes, he teaches Materials and Techniques of the Masters, which has long been a fine arts staple at AUP; the class combines a practical emphasis on artistic technique with an understanding of the underlying chemistry of the materials used in artistic processes. Students mix their own materials and learn to deploy them appropriately, developing a deeper appreciation for how the materials used by the masters were mixed and manipulated.

In 2015, Shimony was appointed as the successor to Professor Ralph Petty in the position of Curator of the AUP Fine Arts Gallery, a role that sees him also managing the University’s permanent art collection. His work has been exhibited widely in Tokyo, Shanghai, Rome and Paris – as well as at the Venice Biennale.

Ralph Petty came to Paris from the US in 1976 to work in Stanley William Hayter’s etching studio, Atelier 17, and has remained in France ever since. Before joining AUP, he taught fine arts in Paris at both Parsons School of Design and L’Institut d’etudes politiques. He was a Professor of Fine Arts at AUP for 25 years.

In 2004, he founded the AUP Fine Arts Gallery and became its first curator. During his tenure, he played a key role in establishing a fine arts major. He also set up the University's permanent collection, which consists of artwork from students, faculty and former exhibitors of the Fine Arts Gallery. Petty himself contributed a sculpture, entitled Listening, to the collection for the University’s 50th anniversary; the work is currently on display in the courtyard of the AMEX Café.

In 2019, Petty returned to AUP to exhibit in the Fine Arts Gallery he helped found. His exhibition, Orage Électrique, took its name from the French term for an uncontrollable ventricular tachycardia – a medical condition with which Petty himself has struggled.