History of Art

History of Art students are scholars and artists, participating in both thesis research and a rigorous studio practice.

All undergraduates at MassArt are required to study art history as part of their core curriculum and overall education. Majoring in History of Art enables interested students to take a deeper dive into the histories of art, design, and creation across human history and cultures. Our History of Art alumni work at museums, auction houses, community nonprofits, and in the education and publishing industries. Many alumni are also practicing artists alongside their professional careers as historians.

A group of people stand in an ornate room with high ceilings, observing large, detailed paintings. The walls are wooden, and a vintage lamp provides lighting. The ceiling is decorated with beams and patterns in rich colors.

A man with earbuds stands indoors, holding a notebook and pen. He is dressed in a dark jacket, with soft lighting and architectural elements like pillars and arches in the background.

How Cambridge’s public art protectors fight graffiti and grime

WBUR News

Stubborn Materialism: Stoppages, Blocks, and Piles

ArtPapers

Faculty

Adrian Kohn

Professor, History of Art

John Russell

Professor, History of Art

Ezra Shales

Professor, History of Art

Shou-Chih Yen

Chair, History of Art

A group of people gathered outdoors, focusing on a speaker at the front. Several people wear jackets and backpacks. The setting appears to be urban, with a building facade in the background.

History of Art Symposia

The History of Art Student Research Symposium is an annual event that allows students from any discipline to present their art-historical research.

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18 UNIQUE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS. A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY.

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Stubborn Materialism: Stoppages, Blocks, and Piles

MassArt in the Media
History of Art

Art in urban public space contends with human patterns of attention and distraction, just as monuments, buildings, and advertisements do. Fixtures of public visibility, regardless of authorship, accrete meaning in their materiality, which is captured by collective spatial memory and other media of reference. A new article by MassArt’s Gabriel Cira, assistant professor in the History of Art at MassArt.

ArtPapers