News

The Department of History of Art is delighted to congratulate Struan Bates on receiving the prestigious Lili Sarnyai Graduate Research Prize from King’s College.Struan’s PhD 'The Role and Status of Building Craftsmen in Provincial England 1660-1710' explores the world of seventeenth-century craftsmen, shedding new light on the networks, practices, …

'Dorothea Tanning: a Surrealist World' overhauls canonical accounts of Surrealism, demonstrating how one woman artist expanded its activity and expression in bold new ways for the modern ageThe book has been listed as best new art book of 2026 by Christie's:Explore the best new art books of 2026 | Christie'sListen to Professor Mahon discuss the boo…

The Department of History of Art is pleased to continue its Summer Internship Programme, offering undergraduate placements for summer 2026.First piloted in 2025 with seed funding from the Pharos Foundation, the programme was established to equip students with the skills, experience and confidence needed to enter the workplace and, for many, to purs…

Peyvand Firouzeh, Intimacies of Global Sufism: Ne‘matullahi Shrines and Material Culture Between Iran and IndiaCIS Public TalksMay 14, 2026 - 17:00Room 10,Faculty of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, Sidgwick Ave, CambridgeThe talk is based on a recently published monograph. From the fifteenth century onwards, followers of the Sufi poet Shah Ne‘matul…

Dr Hallquist took up her position as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Art History in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Southern Indiana on 6 August 2025. Dr Hallquist completed her Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Anthropology at The University of Alabama before obtaining her MPhil in the History of Art and Architecture …

Dr Mor is one of four recipients of theBritish Academy Early Career Researcher Network Seed Fund Awards 2025-26 in the East of England cluster for his project, 'Curating Grey Literature: An Iconoclastic Reappraisal of the British Art Archives via Hidden Actors'. This project interweaves curatorial practice and academic research to challenge the ent…

This spring, the UK’s largest art history conference is coming to Cambridge’s Department of History of Art for the first time.The University is hosting the Association for Art History's annual forum, a prestigious event that’s also one of the largest of its kind in the world. The three-day gathering is set to be even more extensive than usual this …

The Department is pleased to announce the recent publication of A Brief History of British South Asian Art, a new book by Dr Alina Khakoo published this month by Tate Books.The book traces the development of British South Asian art from the post-war period to the present day, examining how artists of South Asian heritage have shaped and reshaped th…

Each lecture will depart from a close reading of one work of art or one iconic image to explore a major aspect of human world picturing as it has been understood and transformed by the visual thinking, emotional intelligence and conceptual analysis of a particular artist or group of artists. The historical trajectory will range from Indigenous Drea…

We’re delighted to welcome art historian and 2021 History of Art alumna Alayo Akinkugbe back to Cambridge to celebrate the launch of her new book, Reframing Blackness. In this important work, Alayo explores the presentation of Black figures in Western art, the role of museums, feminist movements, and the curriculum in shaping our understanding of …

Emeritus Professor Paul Binski has been shortlisted for the Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion, a distinguished annual award presented by the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain. Established in 1959, the Medallion recognises an outstanding monograph that significantly advances the study or understanding of architectural history.Eligib…

Henning comes to Cambridge from the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei where he taught courses on Chinese art history. Prior to that, he held positions at The Courtauld in London, and at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a historian of early modern Chinese art, with a particular focus on landscape painting in the seventeen…

Matthew comes to Cambridge from Queen Mary University of London where he taught the architecture and history of the capital for 6 years. Prior to that, he held positions at The University of New Mexico, and at Oxford. He is a historian of British architecture in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and his research is focussed on the intellectu…

Barry Phipps, an affiliated lecturer in the Department, recently appeared on the BBC’s Fake or Fortune?, offering his expert opinion on a painting potentially attributed to Winston Churchill.Barry’s research explores the relationship between art and diplomacy, particularly in relation to political figures such as Churchill. He examines how artistic…

The prize is awarded by the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History in Rome for outstanding work in the field. More information about the award is available here.The project developed from doctoral research at Cambridge, under the supervision of Professor Donal Cooper, and the book will soon be published by Silvana Editoriale, …