About Us

The Art History Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was established in 1969 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.

Apply to the M.A. Program now!
Spotlight

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

M.A. Candidate Andy Nicole Bowers Awarded Kress Language School Fellowship

February 14, 2020

M.A. candidate Andy Nicole Bowers has been awarded a Kress Language School Fellowship to study at the internationally acclaimed Middlebury Language Schools this summer. Funded by a generous gift...

Professor Laetitia La Follette elected as President of Archaeological Institute of America

January 04, 2020

Professor Laetitia La Follette elected as President of the...

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Events

Feb

Amer-Asia: Object Lessons in Early Modern Connectivity

Kinney Center for Interdisciplinary Renaissance Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 650 E Pleasant Street, Amherst
4:30 pm to 6:00 pm

Mar

Film Screening and Panel Discussion: The Destruction of Memory

Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity St., Amherst, MA
7:00 pm

Mar

Curatorial Fellowship Exhibition Opening: "Artifacts From a Decade"

University Museum of Contemporary Art
5:00 pm to 6:30 pm

Apr

New York City Bus Trip

6:30 am to 9:00 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

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. Apply to the M.A. Program now!

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