History of Art at Cornell
Study in the Department of the History of Art crosses not only boundaries of geography and academic disciplines, but also of time as it integrates traditional history of art with more recent fields of theory and research. Read More
Books and Publications by Our Faculty
"M=Memory" in Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraiture from 1865 to the Present
Cheryl Finley
This stunning collection of photographic portraits traces US history through the lives of well-known abolitionists, artists, scientists, writers, statesman, entertainers, and sports figures. Drawing on the photographic collections of the National Portrait Gallery, author Deborah Willis explores how these images—many by famous photographers—reveal the nation's history through an African American lens and challenge us all to uphold America's highest ideals and promises.
Students Explore Hair and Identity in Exhibition
"Hair: Untangling Roots of Identity," a new exhibition at the Herbert F.
Johnson Museum of Art curated and organized by students in the History
of Art Majors Society, examines hair's political, social, cultural and
artistic contexts. Link to full story.
Hot Topic in Ancient Art Covered in Student Workshop
In art history and archaeology, "Materiality in Ancient Art" is a hot
topic, says associate professor of classics Verity Platt, which is why
she chose it for the student workshop recently held in Goldwin Smith
Hall. Link to full story.
Hair: Untangling Roots of Identity at the Johnson
Curated by the History of Art Majors' Society, this exhibition focuses
on the absence, excess, cutting, covering, and styling of hair as the
materialization of individuality and/or conformity. Read more.
Upcoming Events
Visual Studies Minor
Encouraging the interpretation of the historical and contemporary visual world from diverse perspectives, including architecture, art, cinema, digital media, gender, globalization, performance, popular culture, print and electronic media, race, social institutions, and scientific developments. Learn More