AUP’s Creative Legacy: How Alumna Oona Doyle Built an International Art Career Re-Enchanting Global Audiences

From Paris to New York and London, the AUP experience helped Oona Doyle launch a truly international career in the art world. Born and raised in Paris, Doyle grew up in a bilingual English and French household and chose AUP to reflect her multilingual roots. In 2011, she graduated with a degree in Art History and Visual Culture which created a path for her thriving art career as a curator and head of publications.

Her student journey at AUP began with taking diverse art courses from film to literature, culminating in her role as editor of Paris/Atlantic, a revered student-led publication, dedicated to nurturing literary and creative talents since 1982. Through AUP's global partnerships, Doyle participated in a university exchange program in New York while completing her studies. “It was a mind-changing experience for me to be in New York where I was able to meet other people studying literature and the arts and also take poetry classes,” said Doyle.

While on exchange in New York, she launched Plateau Print, a multidisciplinary publication for emerging artists and writing, distributed across New York, Paris, Brussels and London. In New York, she completed a summer gallery assistant internship at the Gagosian Gallery, carving a path toward curation that merged both her art and publishing background.

After graduating from AUP, Doyle pursued a master's in Fine Arts in curating and contemporary art at Goldsmiths, University of London. Nurturing her craft, Doyle interned at the Tate Modern museum in London, planning exhibitions and researching, and gaining expertise and knowledge in the curatorial field.

Returning to Paris after her master's, Doyle began curating projects with different collaborators. This led to her landing an assistant role at Thaddaeus Ropac, a world-renowned art gallery, in 2015. Today, she is Head of Publications, Research and Associate Curator there.

From AUP to internships in New York and London, her impact in the industry is expanding as she introduces her debut curated show, Re-enchantment, in Paris at Thaddaeus Ropac from February 17 to May 11. Bringing together artists from diverse backgrounds, the show aims to revive public imagination on the themes of wonder, magic and time. “The exhibition was made in response to hyper-rationality and a sense of lost mystery. I wanted to find artists who were creating other worlds, within the world we already have,” said Doyle.

Recognizing the power of sharing different perspectives, Doyle took a feminist approach to the exhibition’s curation, with 9 of the 10 featured artists being women. “For me, it’s important to present women artists and to diversify our program because art history has been dominated by the male gaze.” The exhibition has received praise for its immersive nature that uses scents, lights and strong colors.

Looking back on her path, Doyle appreciates her AUP years where she was able to read, research, and delve into finding her artistic voice. Her best advice to the next generation embarking on their careers is to lean into what interests you: “Trust your instincts. Go out into the world and meet people and don’t be scared to make mistakes.”

Re-Enchantment is on display from February 17 to May 11, 2024, at the Thaddaeus Ropac Paris Pantin Gallery. For more information on the exhibition, visit the gallery website here.