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.

Adjunct Professor Kate Martineau Releases New Book titled "Ray Johnson: Selective Inheritance"

June 24, 2018

On June 24th, friends and colleagues gathered at Amherst Books in Amherst, MA to celebrate the release of Kate Dempsey Martineau's new book, Ray Johnson: Selective Inheritance. This publication is...

Professor Gülru Çakmak's new book Jean-Léon Gérôme and the Crisis of History Painting in the 1850s has been published.

January 29, 2018

Professor Gülru Çakmak's Jean-Léon Gérôme and the Crisis of History Painting in the 1850s(Liverpool, UK: Liverpool University Press, 2017) examines a turning point in French visual culture in the...

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Events

Sep

Dr. Amanda Luyster, "Signatures, Labels, Inscriptions, and Inventories: The Use of Text in Treasuries and Other Networks of Collection"

South College, Room E470
5:15 pm

Oct

Painting, Photography and the Long Duration of History in Osman Hamdi's Paintings

Clark Art Institute, Auditorium
5:30 pm

Oct

UMass Amherst & Brutalism: Origins, Evolution, and Future - Engaging Public Dialogue

University of Massachusetts Amherst
1:00 pm

Oct

What's in a Name? Lorenzo Lotto's Signature Acts

South College Commons W360
1:25 pm

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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

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.