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.
Emma Amos. Stars and Stripes, 1992. Laser transfer photography, oil on paper
Gift of Sylvan Cole, Jr., Class of 1939. 2001.022. Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art
History of Art Majors' Society Exhibits:
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.
Ayesha Matthan, PhD ‘26, has been awarded the 2026 Joan and Stanford Alexander Dissertation Award in Photography by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH).
Several Cornell College of Arts and Sciences graduate students and one faculty member from the college were honored with 2026 Graduate Excellence and Impact Awards. Presented May 13, the awards honor leadership, service and mentorship.
Image caption:
Funerary Relief with Busts of Popillius and Calpurnia, A.D. 1–20. Roman. Marble. 65 × 96 × 24 cm. Object Number: 71.AA.260. Getty Museum
