Charles Riley

Charles Riley II is the director of the Nassau County Museum of Art, an arts journalist, curator and professor at Clarkson University. He graduated from Princeton and received his Phd from City College of New York. He is the author of thirty-two books on art, architecture and public policy. He recently published Free as Gods (University Press of New England) and he is now working on Rodin and his Circle (Chimei Museum, Taiwan).


Past Olios with Charles Riley


Museum Trip | 'The 80s Show' Private Tour

Join us for this second trip to see 150 acres of nature trails, contemporary sculptures, and of course the unbelievable art lining the walls of the old Frick mansion. Riley has again generously offered to give us a private tour on the last day of his 80s exhibition.

Venue: Nassau County Museum of Art

Teacher: Charles Riley

July 7, 2019, 2 p.m.

Painting the Apocalypse: Haring, Basquiat and the Eighties

Join us at the William Vale hotel with museum director Charles Riley for a tour of the end of time as envisioned not just by Eighties artists but such masters as Bosch, Rodin, Michelangelo, and Leonardo.

Venue: The William Vale Hotel

Teacher: Charles Riley

May 30, 2019, 7 p.m.

Museum Trip | 'True Colors' Private Tour

Join us for this second trip to see 150 acres of nature trails, contemporary sculptures, and of course the unbelievable art lining the walls of the old Frick mansion. Riley has again generously offered to give us a private tour on the last day of his True Color exhibition.

Venue: Nassau County Museum of Art

Teacher: Charles Riley

Nov. 4, 2018, 2 p.m.

True Colors?: A Type of Bliss

Nothing in art rivals the power of color, the sharpest tool in the artist’s toolbox. It is potent even to the point of seeming dangerous. What is it about color that moves us so directly?

Venue: Strand Bookstore

Teacher: Charles Riley

Sept. 28, 2018, 7 p.m.

Members Only | Jazz Age Field Trip to Long Island

Riley generously offered to give our members a private tour on the last day of his Jazz Age exhibition and so we've decided to go all out and charter a yellow school bus for our first ever Think Olio Field Trip.

Venue: Nassau County Museum of Art

Teacher: Charles Riley

July 8, 2018, 2 p.m.

How Great is Gatsby?

Dive again into this brief but far from shallow fountain of symbolism, history, and philosophy and you will never read Fitzgerald in the same way again.

Venue: Strand Bookstore

Teacher: Charles Riley

June 8, 2018, 7 p.m.

*OlioMuse* In Search of Proust's Music: Recognizing the Musical Motif

The Oliomuse will feature a full performance of the masterpiece by two of NYC’s top talents. Throughout it all, Professor Riley will weave together a tapestry of music, literature, and a vision of old Europe on the precipice of unimaginable change.

Venue: Strand Bookstore

Teacher: Charles Riley

Nov. 10, 2017, 7 p.m.

Better Art Through Censorship (Ban This Book)

Charles Riley, who taught and wrote under extreme government censorship in China while helping dissidents, tracks the network of censorship that targeted Joyce's Ulysses and other "obscene" books.

Venue: Strand Bookstore

Teacher: Charles Riley

Sept. 29, 2017, 7 p.m.

Free As Gods: Picasso, Calder and Artists Take Center Stage

More than just stars on the art scene, Picasso and Calder took center stage in the world of theater and that changed the course of their work forever.

Venue: Strand Bookstore

Teacher: Charles Riley

July 7, 2017, 7 p.m.

OlioNote Vol 2 Launch Weekend

Come celebrate the launch of the OlioNote Vol 2 with three special events // The Secret Role of Zelda Fitzgerald // **Live Music** Art in the Age of Alternative Facts // **Read-in** Tough Poetry in Dark Times

Venue: Strand Bookstore

Teacher: Charles Riley

April 7, 2017, 7 p.m.

The Secret Role of Zelda Fitzgerald: A Deeper Look at the Creative Life of a Jazz Age Legend

An insider's look into the creative life of a Jazz Age legend, including the secret role she played in the revision of The Great Gatsby.

Venue: Strand Bookstore

Teacher: Charles Riley

April 7, 2017, 7 p.m.

Truth Tellers and Trouble Makers in Paris' Jazz Age - SOLD OUT!

Venue: Chandelier Creative

Teacher: Charles Riley

July 7, 2016, 7 p.m.

Unknown Genius: Nancy Cunard, the Jazz Age Flapper, Muse, & Poet

Venue: Chinatown Soup

Teacher: Charles Riley

March 3, 2016, 7:30 p.m.


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Olio: A miscellaneous collection of art and literature.