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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.
Note on teaching during COVID in the Department of History of Art:
History of Art is a discipline that depends on the viewing and discussion of images. Due to technical constraints in many of our classrooms, faculty and instructors are often unable to project their lectures via Zoom in accompaniment to physical teaching. For the same reason, recording lectures for viewing later is also not always possible.
Students missing classes due to COVID precautions are advised to keep up with the syllabus, readings, and other Canvas and library resources available to them, so as not to fall behind during their physical absence from class.
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:
On Jan. 28, the Center for Teaching Innovation and Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art will co-host “Teaching About Climate Change: Art, Action and Reflection,” a faculty panel, teaching workshop and exhibit tour exploring how instructors can engage the humanities, climate change and community in their...
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Geronimo Cristobal, PhD Candidate, Publishes in journal Art History
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New Winter 2026 Course: ARTH 2550 An Introduction to Latin American Art
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Pop Art and South Asia Conference December 15-16, 2025 Jaffna Thiruvalluvar Cultural Center Jaffna, Sri Lanka This conference focuses on South Asian art’s engagement with popular culture from the mid-twentieth century through the present. The rapid development of capitalism, urbanism, me...
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The Findley Lecture with Emily Floyd 12/3/2025
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Sara Garzon PhD ’22 is associate curator for the second Bienal das Amazônias 2025
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A collaboration between Cornell and Harvard has continuously excavated the ancient city.
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A new book by Shirley Samuels examines the story behind today’s divided America in literature and art created during and soon after the Civil War.
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