Compelling with Katy Wellesley Wesley

Katy Wellesley Wesley
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Compelling is a new podcast exploring the dynamic worlds of art, culture, and luxury. The series features in-depth conversations with visionary artists, cultural leaders, and brand innovators, to uncover how storytelling, mastery of craft, and creative collaboration come together to build community, engage audiences, and create lasting legacies. Compelling offers listeners fresh perspectives on the ideas and aesthetics shaping luxury businesses and contemporary culture.

  1. 3D AGO

    Rafael de Cárdenas: Taste, Craft, and the Accidents That Built a Studio

    What happens to taste when algorithms stop us discovering anything unexpected?  In this episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley-Wesley sits down with New York-based designer and creative director Rafael de Cárdenas for a wide-ranging conversation on the forces shaping culture, luxury, and design right now. Rafael traces a non-linear path from Calvin Klein to architecture school and, ultimately, a multidisciplinary studio practice spanning interiors, architecture, art advisory, and brand work. Along the way, they discuss everything from pop culture to the development of personal identity. They also chat about The Hoffman Process and what it changed in Rafael’s leadership, alongside a frank look at politics, Americanness, and how the ‘no rules’ philosophy of America can give rise to both Warhol and Trump.  (00:00) - Welcome to Compelling (02:54) - Growing Up in New York and Finding Subculture (07:44) - Calvin Klein, Fashion, and Learning Brand Precision (09:24) - Architecture School and the Pull of Alternative Worlds (11:00) - Accidental Beginnings and Early Projects (12:56) - Interior Design as Drag and Reinventing Space (21:16) - Gen X, JFK, and the Shift to Postmodern Culture (24:15) - Algorithms, Aspiration, and the Culture of the Lowest Common Denominator (27:43) - Europe, America, and Making Sense of Politics and Identity (36:06) - The Hoffman Process and Leading with Vulnerability (54:04) - Dream Projects, Flash Mobs, and Wonder as a Way of Living Rafael de Cárdenas: Rafael de Cárdenas is a New York-based designer and creative director, and the founder of Rafael de Cárdenas, Ltd., an interdisciplinary studio working across architectural and interior design and creative direction. Since 2006, Rafael’s practice has spanned residential and commercial projects as well as brand-led work, with recent coverage including a 2025 Architectural Digest feature on a six-storey Manhattan townhouse renovation. Visit Rafael de Cárdenas, Ltd Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships. Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris. Visit Cahiers d’Art Art direction by Eddie Harrop StudioWebsite and Production by Story Ninety-Four

    1h 3m

  2. MAR 12 · BONUS

    Bonus Content: Friendship Over Figures

    What happens when a luxury business makes decisions based on people, not spreadsheets? In this bonus episode of Compelling, Katy Wellesley-Wesley speaks with Vitalie Taittinger about the human logic that sits behind a family-owned Champagne house: choosing distributors for fit and friendship, building long-term relationships, and treating fun and ease of collaboration as real business signals. The conversation also turns to British wine and Domaine Evremond, Taittinger’s English sparkling wine project in Kent. Vitalie describes the mix of Champagne heritage and local culture, and why doing something slightly disruptive can be a strength when it is grounded in craft and clarity. Vitalie Taittinger: Vitalie Taittinger is President and CEO of Champagne Taittinger, one of the few major Champagne houses that remains family-owned. Based in Reims, she helps lead the house’s long-term strategy across brand, culture, and international growth, with a focus on stewardship of place and craft. Her background in art and design informs a leadership style rooted in collaboration, experience, and emotional resonance. Visit Taittinger Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships. Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris. Visit Cahiers d’Art Art direction by Eddie Harrop StudioWebsite and Production by Story Ninety-Four

    7 min

  3. MAR 5

    Vitalie Taittinger: Family, Legacy and Leadership at Taittinger Champagne

    What does it take to lead a centuries-old Champagne house like a startup, without losing what makes it special? In this episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley-Wesley speaks with Vitalie Taittinger, President and CEO of Champagne Taittinger, about independence, legacy, and the long-term thinking that comes with family stewardship. Vitalie reflects on her early ambition to become a painter, the turning point of the 2005 sale of the wider Taittinger group, and why her father’s determination to buy the house back reshaped her own path. They discuss what it means to build an experience around a brand, from Polychrome, Taittinger’s cultural restaurant concept, to ArsNova, a philanthropic project designed to widen access to beauty, culture, and shared experiences. (00:00) - Welcome to Compelling (02:53) - The 2005 Sale and a Family Turning Point (04:53) - Buying Back the House and Finding Meaning (08:02) - Independence, Long-Term Thinking, and Leadership (12:12) - Working With Family (17:30) - Differentiation and Brand Identity in Champagne (20:14) - Polychrome: Culture as Visitor Experience (24:29) - ArsNova: Philanthropy, Beauty, and Access (31:15) - Drinking Habits, No-and-Low, and Celebration (34:14) - Sustainability as Measurement and Change Management (37:16) - Advice, Leadership, and the Meaning of Luxury Vitalie Taittinger: Vitalie Taittinger is President and CEO of Champagne Taittinger, one of the few major Champagne houses that remains family-owned. Based in Reims, she helps lead the house’s long-term strategy across brand, culture, and international growth, with a focus on stewardship of place and craft. Her background in art and design informs a leadership style rooted in collaboration, experience, and emotional resonance. Visit Taittinger Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships. Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris. Visit Cahiers d’Art Art direction by Eddie Harrop StudioWebsite and Production by Story Ninety-Four

    43 min

  4. FEB 26 · BONUS

    Bonus Content: Heritage, Craft, and Colour

    What makes people pay attention to a fabric house founded in 1935, in a world full of fast trends and louder brands?  In this bonus episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley speaks with Patrick Frey of Maison Pierre Frey about why authenticity, roots, and a tangible connection to history still carry real weight with clients around the world. Patrick explains how provenance can feel almost sacred to buyers, and why the creative challenge begins after acquisition: adapting heritage through colour, taste, and modern creation without losing the soul of what you own.   Patrick Frey: Patrick Frey is the Creative Director and President Emeritus of La Maison Pierre Frey, the Paris-based family house founded in 1935 and known worldwide for fabrics, wallpapers, rugs, carpets, and furniture of the highest quality and most refined taste. He became artistic director in 1969 and expanded the company’s global reach while keeping a strong commitment to craft, quality and design-led experimentation. Visit Pierre Frey Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships. Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris. Visit Cahiers d’Art Art direction by Eddie Harrop StudioWebsite and Production by Story Ninety-Four

    5 min

  5. FEB 19

    Patrick Frey: Designing for Decades, Not Trends

    What does it take to protect a legacy? In this episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley speaks with Patrick Frey, Creative Director and President Emeritus of La Maison Pierre Frey, about the unpredictable, joyful mystery of creation. Patrick shares how he grew up learning to see: travelling through Europe with his interior‑designer mother, absorbing architecture, landscapes, and museums, and developing an instinct for beauty that later shaped a global design house. They explore how a company rooted in 1935 Paris remains nimble and continues to surprise: making decisive creative calls with instinct, thinking globally and looking back at heritage design as well as thinking about innovation. Patrick discusses the continuation of the business as control passes to the third generation, the importance of stopping to really look, and why there is no reliable formula for what becomes a bestseller. (00:00) - Welcome to Compelling (00:56) - Introducing Patrick Frey and Maison Pierre Frey (02:58) - Founding Pierre Frey and the Early Export Mindset (04:40) - Learning to See: Travel, Architecture, and Taste (07:22) - Apprenticeship and Starting From Scratch in the US (09:27) - Leadership, Succession, and Working With Family (12:16) - Export, National Style, and Growing Beyond France (17:15) - Heritage as Fuel for Modern Creation (19:30) - Why You Never Know What Will Sell (24:00) - Inspiration, Streets, and Staying Open to the World (31:00) - The Future of Interiors Patrick Frey: Patrick Frey is the Creative Director and President Emeritus of La Maison Pierre Frey, the Paris-based family house founded in 1935 and known worldwide for fabrics, wallpapers, rugs, carpets, and furniture of the highest quality and most refined taste. He became artistic director in 1969 and expanded the company’s global reach while keeping a strong commitment to craft, quality and design-led experimentation. Visit Pierre Frey Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships. Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris. Visit Cahiers d’Art Art direction by Eddie Harrop StudioWebsite and Production by Story Ninety-Four

    45 min

  6. FEB 5 · BONUS

    Bonus Content: Life on the Road with Martin Parr

    In memory of Martin Parr (23 May 1952 - 6 December 2025). This interview was recorded before his death.  How does a chance encounter on a doorstep evolve into one of the most compelling collaborations? In this bonus episode of Compelling, we go behind the scenes with Lee Shulman on a year-long filmmaking journey that saw Lee kidnap the legendary Martin Parr to revisit the locations of his early career. We explore the making of I am Martin Parr and the book Deja Vu, uncovering the raw, sometimes brutal honesty that defines their friendship. Lee Shulman: Lee Shulman is the Founder and Creative Director of The Anonymous Project, containing nearly a million Kodachrome slides. A London-born, Paris-based visual artist and award-winning filmmaker, his expertise lies in curating and recontextualising amateur photography through immersive installations, books, and collaborative art projects. His recent work includes the collaboration Being There with Omar Victor Diop and directing the documentary film I Am Martin Parr. Visit the Anonymous Project Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships. Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art. Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris. Visit Cahiers d’Art Art direction by Eddie Harrop StudioWebsite and Production by Story Ninety-Four

    6 min

  7. JAN 22 · BONUS

    Bonus Content: Staffan Ahrenberg on Books, Architecture and the Power of Curiosity

    What role do books play in shaping a life devoted to art? In this bonus episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley speaks with Staffan Ahrenberg, owner and publisher of Cahiers d'Art, for a quick-fire conversation about the books, habits and dreams that define his approach to art and life. He discusses the formative impact of Malevich's The Non-Objective World and Kandinsky's Concerning the Spiritual in Art, as well as novels such as Camus's L'Étranger and García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. Staffan also reveals his unrealised architectural ambitions, including building the Le Corbusier museum originally commissioned by his father in 1962 but never constructed due to political opposition in Stockholm, and creating a library designed by Thomas Schütte in a Swedish forest. He explains his daily practice of rewriting handwritten notes as a mnemonic device, why physical movement matters, and offers powerful advice: be curious and act on that curiosity without hesitation, even when asking provocative questions to Nobel Prize winners or major artists. Staffan Ahrenberg: Swedish art collector, entrepreneur and film producer, Staffan Ahrenberg is the owner and publisher of Cahiers d’Art, the historic Parisian publishing house and gallery he relaunched in 2012. He has revitalised its revered revue, book and limited‑edition programmes, and co‑founded the nonprofit Cahiers d’Art Institute to publish catalogues raisonnés for leading 20th‑ and 21st‑century artists. Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships. Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris. Visit Cahiers d’Art Art direction by Eddie Harrop StudioWebsite and Production by Story Ninety-FourFilmed and recorded by Marque Page Studio

    6 min

  8. JAN 22 · BONUS

    Bonus Content: Daniel Birnbaum on Books, Art and Technology

    What role should books and digital experiences play in the future of art institutions? In this bonus episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley sits down with Daniel Birnbaum, director of Acute Art and former director of Moderna Museet, for a quick-fire conversation about life, art and ambition. They explore the books and writers that shaped his thinking—particularly Italo Calvino—and discuss his dream of creating a digital home for major VR and AR artworks commissioned with artists such as Mark Leckey, Cao Fei and Jeff Koons. With immersive art experiences expanding globally, Daniel explains why the future will be a hybrid mixed-reality world where physical objects and digital tools coexist. He also addresses the risks of living in a post-truth era where fiction and reality merge in political spheres, and why artists have always navigated this terrain. Above all, he offers simple but powerful advice: do only what you find interesting, because if you don't find it compelling, nobody else will. Daniel Birnbaum: Daniel Birnbaum is a writer and curator based in Paris and Stockholm. From 2000 to 2010 he was rector of the Städelschule in Frankfurt and director of its Portikus gallery. Between 2010 and 2018 he was director of Moderna Museet in Stockholm. In 2009 he curated the the 53rd Venice Biennial. His most recent exhibition is Wassily Kandinsky and Hilma af Klint. Dreams of the Future at K20 in Düsseldorf (with Julia Voss) and Dream Machines at DESTE Foundation (with Massimiliano Gioni). Recent publications include Exhibition, Academy, Museum: Notes on the Frames of Art (Walther König, 2022) and the novel Dr B (Gallimard, 2022). In 2024 Birnbaum joined the Warburg Institute’s Visionary Circle. Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships. Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris. Visit Cahiers d’Art Art direction by Eddie Harrop StudioWebsite and Production by Story Ninety-FourFilmed and recorded by Marque Page Studio

    5 min
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About

Compelling is a new podcast exploring the dynamic worlds of art, culture, and luxury. The series features in-depth conversations with visionary artists, cultural leaders, and brand innovators, to uncover how storytelling, mastery of craft, and creative collaboration come together to build community, engage audiences, and create lasting legacies. Compelling offers listeners fresh perspectives on the ideas and aesthetics shaping luxury businesses and contemporary culture.

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