History of Art

The history of art program teaches students how to investigate works of art from a wide range of periods and regions. A distribution requirement ensures that students have a solid foundation in each of the following four areas:

Ancient/Medieval
Renaissance/Baroque/18th Century
Modern/Contemporary
Asia/Africa/Indigenous Americas /Oceania

After fulfilling the requirement, students then may choose to focus their studies on a particular area of art history. All history of art students take at least two senior seminars investigating focus topics in the history of art.

MassArt’s visiting artist program and exhibitions of contemporary art encourage students to contemplate the historical and cultural context of work being created in our own time.

History of Art majors continue on to graduate programs in art history, visual culture, and museum studies; work in museums, galleries, auction houses, and publishing; and use their knowledge of the history and theory of art to enrich their studio practice.

History of Art Faculty

Adrian Kohn, Professor
AB, Georgetown University
MA, School of The Art Institute of Chicago
PhD, University of Texas

Joanne Lukitsh, Professor
BA, Wesleyan University
MA, University of New Mexico
PhD, University of Chicago

David Nolta, Professor
BA, University of Michigan
MA, University of Chicago
MA, MPhil, PhD, Yale University

John Russell, Professor
BA, Washington University in St. Louis
MA, University of Pennsylvania
PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Ezra Shales, Professor
BA, Wesleyan University
MFA Hunter College
PhD Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture

Ellen Shapiro, Professor
BA, Brandeis University
MPhil, MA, Yale University
PhD, Yale University

Ellen Shortell, Professor
AB, University of California, Santa Cruz
MA, Tufts University
MPhil, PhD, Columbia University

Margaret Turner, Professor
AB, Wellesley College
PhD, University of Rochester

Shou-Chih Yen, Professor
BA, National Taiwan Normal University
MA, National Taiwan University
PhD, Yale University

History of Art

History of Art Faculty

Programs