Department Homepage
The College of Arts & Sciences
The Department of the History of Art and Visual Studies at Cornell University prepares students to undertake journeys into visual culture through traditional areas of study such as ancient, Medieval and Renaissance art, as well as through the integration of recent fields of theory and research. Students explore the history of cultural interactions as manifested in visual culture both inside and outside the West, from antiquity to present.
Location: Goldwin Smith Hall, G22
From 1991 to 2018, the History of Art Majors’ Society (HAMS) provided a way for Cornell history of art majors to enhance their knowledge about the discipline of art history beyond the classroom. These students met at the Johnson Museum one evening each week throughout the academic year to develop an annual exhibition drawn from the permanent collection and to research, write, and publish an accompanying exhibition brochure.
Browse recent exhibits via the links below:
Hu Shih Distinguished Lecture with Dr. Wu Hung (University of Chicago), 4/23/26
Pulse of Art History with Rebeca L. Hey-Colón 4/28/2026
Anne-Solène Bayan, PhD Student, recognized with the Exemplary Leadership & Service Award: Early Career Student
Thanks to the generous support of the Estate of Charles Baskerville, History of Art & Visual Studies is delighted to offer eligible students travel support through the Baskerville Undergraduate Travel Grant. The purpose of these funds is to support student participation in summer experiences or to attend conferences related to their studies in History of Art. Summer experiences can include but are not limited to internships at museums, galleries, or auction houses, archaeological excavations, summer study in a specialty program (e.g. conservation studies), or other relevant professional and academic developmental programs.
Annetta Alexandridis, classical archaeologist and art historian in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, died April 13. Known for her hands-on approach, she was associate director of the Harvard-Cornell Exploration of Ancient Sardis, Türkiye and co-curated the Cornell Plaster Cast Collection.
HART Club will host Kathryn Kremnitzer (BA '13) for an alumna career chat
ICM NEW CONVERSATIONS - C.J. Wan-Ling Wee (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) "Shanghai Spirit": The Shanghai Biennale 2000 and the Transnational–Postcolonial