Dr. Charles L. Venable (born 1 March 1960) is the 5th professional director and CEO of the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky.
Venable was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He received a B.A., cum laude, in Art History and History from Rice University in 1982 and a Master's degree from the University of Delaware's Winterthur Program in Early American Culture in 1986 and a PhD from Boston University in American Studies in 1993.[1]
From 1986 to 2002 he was at the Dallas Museum of Art rising from rank of Assistant Curator of Decoraive Arts to Deputy Director and built the museum’s holdings of American decorative art into one of the finest in the country. Venable also served five years (2002–2007) as Deputy Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art before coming to the Speed Art Museum.[2]
Venable lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his partner and daughter.
Venable has become known as a scholar in his field by editing and writing several well-respected publications. For his book, American Furniture in the Bybee Collection (1989), Venable was awarded the Charles F. Montgomery Award. His 1994 publication, Silver in America, 1840-1940: A Century of Splendor, received the Montgomery Prize. Dr. Venable is the only scholar to have received both the Charles F. Montgomery Award and the Montgomery Prize. His last major work, China and Glass in America, 1880-1980 (2000), was acclaimed for its accessible style and scholarly contribution to the decorative arts field.[3]