Dr. Christine Isabelle Oaklander
Christine Oaklander is an independent art historian and private art consultant, beginning her journey in 1984, with expertise in the field of American art. She was inspired to plunge into the mystery, history, and beauty of American art by posts at the New-York Historical Society and Spanierman Gallery in the 1980s. She left fulltime work to pursue academic training credentials, earning the M.A. in art history from Williams College and the Ph.D. in American art history from the University of Delaware, where she studied under pioneering Americanists Dr. William Innes Homer and Dr. Wayne Craven, with distinguished scholar William C. Agee as dissertation committee member. From 2001-2006, she was Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Allentown Art Museum; from 2006-2013, she served as Arts Coordinator for Lehigh Valley Health Network. Other employers include the Brandywine River Museum and the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass. Currently, Dr. Oaklander works with private and institutional clients in buying, selling, researching, curating and writing about art. She has lectured at the Frick Collection, New-York Historical Society, Thomas Cole House, Olana, and at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. She has published articles with both scholarly and popular journals including the Maine Antique Digest, Archives of American Art Journal, and the Metropolitan Museum Journal. She is an advocate for many artists and arts organizations and mentors young artists.
Mentoring and advocating for artists is the cornerstone of my philanthropic ideals; that led to being recognized with a prestigious Linny award for Philanthropy.
Her “find” in April 2014 of a trove of artistic and archival material from the estate of Henry Grant Plumb has led her to embark on an adventure of a lifetime. Dr. Oaklander has provided art to both private and public collections; recently, she has made sales to the Art Institute of Chicago, Delaware Art Museum, Hermitage Museum & Gardens, and the Morgan Library and Museum.
One of my rarest finds yet; the study for Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware.
Live from my work space
Dr. Oaklander offers a rare combination of advanced degrees from blue-chip institutions along with extensive hands-on experience in recognizing, purchasing, selling, researching, and caring for rare and important artworks. She is an expert in American art from 1790-1930 with secondary concentrations in American Illustration and European Art 1800-1930. Ordinarily, scholarly and market careers do not intersect. All of this is carried on in a clearly-communicated, highly ethical way. In 2018, Oaklander won a prestigious Linny Award for service and philanthropy in the fine arts in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania where she has worked since 2001. Oaklander splits her home between the Lehigh Valley and the upper Hudson Valley, although she is a native to New York City.
Ever the detective, even in youth I was always questioning and intently watching the world around me.
**Website photography by Charles Daniels, unless otherwise noted**
My mother, Dr. Isabelle Rapin, died in May 2017. She was my biggest fan and supporter (followed by my Dad), this website is dedicated to her.