The Department of Art History and World Art Studies is home to a thriving community of postgraduate researchers working across wide-ranging topics.
Our research community benefits from strong links with colleagues and peers in the Sainsbury Centre, the Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas (SRU) and the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Art and Culture (SISJAC), as well as the opportunity to participate in regular research seminars, conferences and events.
We also have links with museums and galleries around the UK and co-supervise a number of Collaborative Doctoral Projects with colleagues working in this field, including with the Museum of London and the Science Museum, providing an exciting context for PhD study across universities and the arts and heritage sector.
Members of the Art History faculty are open to inquiries relating to supervision in their areas of expertise – you can find more details on our staff profile pages and contact us to discuss your project.
We have particular strengths in supervision across:
- Modern and contemporary art
- Medieval visual and material culture
- Artist’s film, video and photography
- Art and visual culture in India
- Art and ecology
- Decolonisation
- Curatorial studies and exhibition histories
Recent PhD topics in the department include:
- Cultural Repatriation in Kanaky (New Caledonia)
- Curating Climate Change in UK Museums
- Isabel Rawsthorne, Portraiture and Feminist Responses to Existentialism and Phenomenology
- Diversifying Primary Education Curricula in Suffolk using African-Caribbean Material Culture
- Selfie Cultures in Mumbai
- Late Paintings of Philip Guston
- Tate Modern Turbine Hall Commissions and the Idea of Public Space
- The 'Metal Letter' in Medieval London: Epigraphic Thinking in Material from the Museum of London's Archaeological Archive
“My PhD was an AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award in partnership with the Museum of London entitled, 'The Metal Letter: Private Epigraphy in Late Medieval London'. My first year was spent exploring the Museum of London's collections to determine my research focus, and refining my project with the expert help of supervisors Dr Jack Hartnell and Professor Sandy Heslop at the School of Art History and World Art Studies, and Dr Glyn Davies at the Museum of London. The support of my supervisors in developing and challenging my ideas was invaluable throughout the process, all the way through to the viva examination. Having previously studied at UEA for my BA, I knew that I would find a friendly community environment here, and during my PhD there were lots of events where I could meet other postgraduate researchers, discover new research, and present my own work. I also benefitted from some unique career opportunities during my PhD, including two paid internships in the public history and heritage sector.” Dr. Olivia Croyle (PhD awarded 2022)