art history

October 03, 2025
When you consider abstract art, your mind likely conjures images of works by Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Piet Mondrian: bold shapes, swaths of vibrant colors and innovative techniques. However, an international team of art historians is challenging that perception with their research on…

November 26, 2024
Planning a trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art? Make sure you don’t miss the “Imagination in the Age of Reason” exhibition, on display through March 2. The exhibition has a close tie to Case Western Reserve University, as it was developed by Jillian Kruse, a fifth-year PhD candidate in art…

November 14, 2024
The Department of Art History and Art will host the annual Olszewski Lecture in Art History Thursday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m. in Tinkham Veale University Center, Ballroom A. Dana Leibsohn, the Alice Pratt Brown Professor of Art History at Smith College, will present “Wax, Paper, Scissors: Loss and…

October 18, 2024
Two Case Western Reserve University faculty members were selected for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Grant Awards. In total, the NEH is awarding $37.5 million to 240 projects nationwide. Maggie Popkin, professor of art history, received a $60,000 Public Scholars award to support…

July 23, 2024
Like many incoming students at Case Western Reserve, Elie Stenson thought she knew for certain what field she would pursue. With her focus on STEM, she enrolled in other courses “on a whim,” including the course “Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology and Art and Culture in…

December 08, 2023
Distinguished University Professor Elina Gertsman’s article, "‘The Breath of Every Living Thing’: Zoocephali and the Language of Difference on the Medieval Hebrew Page," was published in Art History, one of the field’s flagship journals. The essay explores the semiotics and phenomenology of a…

October 20, 2023
The path to Case Western Reserve University is different for all students, but their varied backgrounds enrich the campus environment for all. That is especially true of our transfer students, whose paths led them to CWRU after beginning their college journeys at other institutions. Whether a…

August 29, 2023
Along with PhD student Marina Mandrikova, they break stereotypes to highlight Africa’s role in Byzantine art and culture For Betsy Bolman, art history chair and the Elsie B. Smith Professor in the Liberal Arts, being awarded the 2023 Tsiter-Kontopoulou Prize was a unique honor. “It was quite…

August 18, 2023
Maggie Popkin publishes ongoing research into the material and visual culture of ancient Roman sport
Maggie Popkin, the Robson Junior Professor and associate professor of art history, published her ongoing research into the material and visual culture of ancient Roman sport in The Art Bulletin, the flagship journal of the College Art Association. Her article, "Roman Gladiator Knives:…

August 16, 2023
Few people can say they've been part of one of the most highly regarded art displays in the world. But now, eight Case Western Reserve University art history students can add the accomplishment to their résumés. Through the class "Issues in 20th/21st Century Art: Plastocene Era: Art, Plastics and…