Alumna Spotlight: Lily Zirlin

Lily Zirlin

Current position: Cataloger, Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art; Sotheby’s

Graduating Class: 2022

Thesis: “The Art of Influence: The Influential Families that Painted the Indian Modern Art World”

Having an expertise in South Asia — the region’s literature, economics, history, religion, culture and politics — is vital to “read” images and understand the visual languages that South Asian artists speak.    I developed this sort of literacy during Columbia’s South Asian master’s degree, and could better understand the contexts that South Asian art is created in.

This regional knowledge and unconventional approach to art literacy sets me apart from people with traditional art history backgrounds, and gives me a competitive edge in the modern and contemporary South Asian art field.

As a cataloguer, I research and write short essays about artworks coming up for sale. Columbia’s faculty encouraged me to think critically and helped me articulate sometimes incoherent ideas into coherent written projects. The writing and thinking practice I had during the program continues to enhance my professional work.