Robert Little

Commode, (macassar ebony, ivory), Unidentified Maker, Paris, France, 1920s - 1930s (989.315.16)

Robert Little

Curator, Mona Campbell Chair of Decorative Arts

Bio

In the Department of World Cultures, Robert Little is the Mona Campbell Curator of European Decorative Art at the Royal Ontario Museum. Currently he dedicates his time developing the permanent collection of 20th Century Decorative Arts for the future Gallery of 20th Century Design, part of Renaissance ROM.

Before arriving at the ROM in 2003, Mr. Little was with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) for over 20 years, where he was the Curator of Non-Canadian Decorative Arts and Acting Curator of Antiquities, Asian Art, Islamic Art, African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art. While there, he curated over 30 exhibitions and secured grants from the Getty Trust and the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation.

Presently Mr. Little is writing a book on the homes and collections of Mr. J. W. McConnell, a Montreal financier and philanthropist who established Canada’s largest family foundation. The book contextualizes the McConnell homes within the Canadian and North American culture and architecture. Mr. Little is uncovering new information about the architects and designers who created these houses, and the fine and decorative art collections which filled each room.