UMass Amherst
Links
HFA - College of Humanities & Fine Arts view HFA submenu

  • About Us

    The Art History Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was established in 1970 within the Department of Art. In 2014, the Program became the Department of the History of Art and Architecture. It is the only program at a public institution in New England that offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field. Our emphasis is on the cultures of Western Europe, North America, Islam, and East Asia.

  • Interested in an Art History major?

    With its broad emphasis on culture and history and its focus on writing, analysis, and research, History of Art and Architecture provides an excellent liberal arts degree for students seeking flexible but rigorous training for a variety of careers.

  • Graduate Studies

    Founded in 1969, the M.A. Program is the only graduate degree program in the field at a public university in New England.

  • Spotlight

    Our faculty, students, and alumni continue to progress the field of art history through their dedicated efforts on a local and global scale. 

News

Professor Sonja Drimmer Receives CARA Award for Excellence in Teaching Medieval Studies

February 12, 2019

UMass’ Assistant Professor Sonja Drimmer has recently been recognized for her outstanding teaching in medieval studies at the graduate and undergraduate level. A statement from the CARA Committee...

Professor Sonja Drimmer Celebrates the Publication of "The Art of Allusion: Illuminators and the Making of English Literature, 1403-1476"

November 27, 2018

On November 27th, Assistant Professor Sonja Drimmer celebrated the release of her newly published book The Art of Allusion: Illuminators and the Making of English Literature, 1403-1476. A double...

More News »

Events

Feb
25

Of Art History and Erasure: The Virgin of Copacabana and Chachapoya Devotion in Early Colonial Lima

UMass, South College E245
5:30 pm

Feb
27

In Conversation: Speak to Me of Rivers

University Museum of Contemporary Art
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Feb
27

Billy and the Kids: Affection, Destruction, and Animal Sculpture in the City Beautiful

UMass, South College E245
5:30 pm

More Events »
Faculty Profile

Professor Walter Denny

Walter B. Denny, Distinguished Professor, joined the faculty of the UMass Amherst Art History Program in 1970. His primary field of teaching and research is the art and architecture of the Islamic world, in particular the artistic traditions of the Ottoman Turks, Islamic carpets and textiles, Islamic imagery in European art, and issues of economics and patronage in Islamic art.

Continue reading about Professor Walter Denny