National Gallery of Art's Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts Names 2026–2027 Fellows
The Facts
The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, announced its 2026–2027 fellows on July 13, 2026. Over 30 scholars will conduct research spanning continents, centuries, and disciplines, including topics such as visualizing the apocalypse in medieval Europe, the material culture of death and dying in premodern India, and painted soundscapes in Korean Buddhist art. Liza S. Kirwin, deputy director emerita of the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, will serve as Kress-Beinecke Professor, researching 19th-century Hudson River School painter Jervis McEntee. Kathleen Christian, the Edmond J. Safra Visiting Professor, will contribute to the National Gallery's forthcoming exhibition "Broken: The Power of the Fragment in Sculpture." Erica Moiah James begins a two-year appointment as Andrew W. Mellon Professor. Thirteen predoctoral fellows will conduct research in the field, and additional visiting senior fellowships with two-month residencies will be announced later.
The Signal
The 2026–2027 cohort marks the 47th fellowship year for the Center, which was founded in 1979 with the opening of the National Gallery's East Building. The breadth of research topics—from medieval European apocalypse imagery to Korean Buddhist soundscapes—signals the Center's continued commitment to expanding the canon of art historical scholarship beyond traditional Western narratives. For collectors and curators, the inclusion of a scholar focused on Hudson River School painter Jervis McEntee suggests renewed institutional interest in 19th-century American landscape painting, potentially influencing market attention. The Center's emphasis on global and interdisciplinary approaches also reflects a broader trend among major research institutes to diversify the voices and geographies represented in visual arts scholarship.
- Artists: Jervis McEntee
- People: Liza S. Kirwin, Kathleen Christian, Erica Moiah James, C. D. Dickerson III
- Museums: National Gallery of Art
- Locations: Washington, DC
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