In my dramatic series THE CURATOR, I’ve been able to delve into the glitzy, corrupt world of large museums and the international art market, exploring the high-stakes tensions that exist between collectors, donors, dealers, and curators.  The main character, Curator Xevi Ferran, is based on one of the world’s most brilliant and tormented artists (a personal favorite of mine):  the Baroque painter Caravaggio.

For me, art has always provided refuge in times of chaos.  Art reminds us of our common humanity, offers valuable historical perspective, and inspires us to ask questions about the world we live in.  On a more basic level, the beauty of art soothes the soul—but we tend to forget about that in this fast-moving, digital age.  The goal of my work is to make art relevant again.  In today’s divisive, fractured world, we need it more than ever.

About Sonya Terjanian:

I’ve been a storyteller my entire life, moving through genres the way Caravaggio went through handsome young assistants.  I’ve flirted with poetry, journalism, playwrighting, theatre criticism, and travel writing.  I’ve had a successful long-term career as an advertising copywriter, creating narratives for brands such as Disney, Google, and NBCUniversal.  I’ve also published two novels.

My husband, Pierre Terjanian, is the Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Curator in Charge of Arms and Armor at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  My immersion in the world of museums and the art market has allowed me to combine two of my great loves:  storytelling and art.  My first novel, THE OBJECTS OF HER AFFECTION, was about a small-time art thief in a big-time museum; it was selected as a Top Ten Crime Fiction Debut by Booklist.  My second novel,THE RUNAWAYS, examines two women’s search for self-actualization through the lens of postmodernism and contemporary art.

Contact Sonya Terjanian:

• Email: sonya@sonyaterjanian.com
• Twitter: @TerjanianSonya
• Instagram: @sterjanian
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerjanianSonya/