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Q&A
With Antiques Roadshow Host Dan Elias
Dan
Elias joins "Antiques Roadshow" this season as the new
host--no small task considering he might encounter anything from
rare old maps to video games to a big blue whale on Route 66. This
is Elias' first foray into television, and now that taping has finished
for the fifth season, the new master of ceremonies takes a few moments
away from his contemporary art gallery in Boston to give us an appraisal
of his first year with "Antiques Roadshow."
Q:
You run the Elias Fine Art gallery here in Boston. Have you always
been involved with antiques, or was it more a general interest in
art history that attracted you to "Antiques Roadshow."
Elias:
Actually, my background is in contemporary art, not antiques. But
I am very interested in the stories objects have to tell--the things
people leave behind them, the material history of our country, whether
these objects are new or old. So my interest at first was not necessarily
in antiques but rather in the way that the program was presenting
its material, presenting context about artwork and objects on television--and
doing it so successfully.
My
life as a contemporary art dealer consists mainly of trying to give
people that context--what an artist was thinking about, what the
ideas and background involved in a certain work are. It's the hardest
thing to do in contemporary art.
People
often feel if they need a story, the art isn't strong enough. And
yet "Antiques Roadshow" is telling stories, and fifteen
million people a week are tuning in to listen. So it's obvious that
the stories--the context behind the works of art--are very important.
And of course the program has found a way to make those stories
not only accessible an interesting, but fascinating.
Q:
I understand it was through your wife that you found out there was
an opening as host of "Antiques Roadshow." What convinced
you to audition for the job?
Elias:
My wife (Karen Keane of Skinner, Inc.) is in antiques, and she's
been on "antiques Roadshow" since the beginning. She knew
that Chris Jussell was going to be leaving the show, and she suggested
I give them a call. She kind of said, "Oh, go on!" I wouldn't
say karen pushed me, but she let me know she thought I would be
good at it. I don't have a lot of experience with antiques, and
I certainly didn't have any experience with television. But at some
point I realized that, in a way, the people who made "Antiques
Roadshow" were doing my job better than I was. I thought that
auditioning would at least be a good opportunity to get these very
busy people in a room and ask them questions to really find out
how they did it. But after the screen tests and whatnot, they decided
to offer me the job; at that point I said to myself, "This'll
be fun." So I signed on, and here I am.
Part
Two
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