A Look into the Minds, or Rather, Desks, of Washington Art Notables

Photographer E. Brady Robinson photographs the desks of art notables in Washington. The assorted objects and clutter, or lack thereof, speak volumes about the desks’ owners.

Photographer E. Brady Robinson sits at one of the two desks in her apartment. Robinson decided to take pictures of desks while wandering around the offices of the Cultural Development Corporation, which hired her to take staff photos for an annual report. (Bill O’Leary / The Washington Post)

The desk of Lisa Gold, executive director of the Washington Project for the Arts. (E. Brady Robinson)

The desk of Anne Collins Goodyear, associate curator of prints and drawings at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. (E. Brady Robinson)

The desk of Sarah Kennel, associate curator of photographs at the National Gallery of Art. (E. Brady Robinson)

The desk of Andrea Pollan, founder/director of Curator’s Office, a gallery near Logan Circle. (E. Brady Robinson)

The desk of Jessica Dawson, a former Washington Post art critic and now director of identity and outreach at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. (E. Brady Robinson)

Larissa Leclair, founder of the Indie Photobook Library and an independent curator, says the desks are revealing. ”Even if you’re a curator at the National Gallery, these workspaces are unassuming. They don’t reflect the kind of influence the subjects have.” (E. Brady Robinson)

A shot of Philippa Hughes’s desk space. Hughes is the founder of Pink Line Project. (E. Brady Robinson)