Faculty News

How blue is Krishna? The poet can get away by responding with a metaphor, calling the dark god Ghanashyam, a storm cloud. Krishna, passionate lover, desired by many and desiring many, is the dark cloud, writes the poet, about to descend on the beloved...

Fromont focuses on how global exchange—through the intertwined histories of Christianity, empire, and the slave trade—shaped artistic practices and ideas about power, identity, and spirituality across continents. “What I’m interested in at the core is how...

Sarah Lewis is on a mission to make sure Black artists get their due. As a curator, an art and cultural historian, and an academic, Lewis is guided by a big question: “What is the role of art and culture for determining who counts, and who belongs, in...

[Professor] Cécile Fromont reflects on the history of Christianity in the Kingdom of Kongo and how it is expressed in Kongolese culture through the lens of a crucifix at The Met. When we look at Kongo Christian visual culture, we know there is an entire...

The Sixteenth Century Society has awarded Professor Felipe Pereda's The Man who Broke Michelangelo's Nose The Sheila ffolliott Prize for the Best Book in Art History for 2025. The Sheila ffolliott Prize recognizes the best book written in English and...

“Color is elemental, a fundamental phenomenon of the natural world. In the hands of artists it takes many forms. Compared to the intermingled colors an Impressionist painter might use or muted hues a Chinese landscape artist would deploy, South Asian...

By analyzing the chemical composition of pigments, Harvard’s Mapping Color in History initiative showcases a new layer of Indian art. Against a deep blue backdrop, sword-wielding demons attempt to disrupt a sacred ritual. Ram, who is dressed in a yellow...

Professor Sarah Lewis is among the winners of the 2025 American Book Awards from the Before Columbus Foundation. "The 2025 American Book Award winners will be formally recognized on Sunday, October 26, 2025, at 2:00 p.m., at the Maude Fife Room, Wheeler...

Cécile Fromont believes that something new can be revealed about an artwork or artifact every time someone lays eyes on it. It’s one of the reasons she loves the classroom environment, where she and her students can examine objects of visual and material...

Eugene Wang, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Professor of Asian Art, delivered the keynote address at Peking University’s 2025 International Doctoral Student Forum for Art Studies, organized under the theme “Intelligence and Art.” His lecture, “How Do We Code...