Ivan Gaskell

Ivan Gaskell, Professor of Cultural History and Museum Studies at Bard Graduate Center, has transformed understanding of material culture through his interdisciplinary approach spanning history, art history, anthropology, and philosophy. After his early academic career at Cambridge University, he spent twenty years at Harvard University (1991-2011) as curator at the Fogg Art Museum while teaching in the History Department. His influential works include "Vermeer's Wager" and "The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection," while his scholarly contributions extend to sixteen books as author, editor, or co-editor. His innovative research mobilizes non-written historical traces to illuminate overlooked aspects of human experience, from Dutch Golden Age paintings to Native American artifacts. As co-editor with Salim Kemal of the Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and the Arts series, he helped establish new frameworks for understanding material culture. His curatorial work includes numerous experimental exhibitions, while his recent scholarship explores decolonizing aesthetics and the role of empathy in museum practice. Through his teaching and research at Bard Graduate Center, he continues to bridge theoretical and practical approaches to cultural history.