Art History Faculty

Clement Akpang
Clement Akpang

Assistant Professor of Art History, Art History Program

Clement Akpang, Corcoran's Art History Program, holds a PhD in art and art theory/history from the University of Bedfordshire in Luton, U.K. Prior to coming to GW, he was a Junior Core Research Fellow for the Institute for Advanced Studies at the Central European University in Hungary.

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Lynn Brostoff
Lynn Brostoff

Professorial Lecturer, Art History

Lynn Brostoff is currently a Research Chemist in the Library of Congress Preservation Division. She previously held conservation scientist positions at the Smithsonian Institution's MCI, The Artists' Materials Center at Carnegie Mellon Univ., The National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art Read More  


photo of alexander dumbadze
Alexander Dumbadze

Associate Professor & Director of Undergraduate Studies, Art History

Alexander Dumbadze is Associate Professor of Art History. His essays and criticism have been published in a variety of national and international publications.

Dr. Elise A. Friedland
Dr. Elise A. Friedland

Associate Professor of Classics and Art History, Art History Program

Elise A. Friedland holds a BA in Classics from Williams College and an MA and PhD in Classical Art and Archaeology from the University of Michigan.

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Headshot of Adjunct Professor Jung-Sil Lee
Jung-Sil Lee

Professorial Lecturer, Art History Program

Jung-Sil Lee has been a historian of modern and contemporary art in global perspectives and an independent curator. Her research interests cover public memorials, ritual theory, feminism, and grassroots activism through art.

photo of lisa lipinski
Lisa Lipinski

Associate Professor of Art History; Transfer and Study Abroad Advisor, Art History Program

Lisa Lipinski's teaching and research interests include modern and contemporary art and theoretical approaches to the visual arts, Surrealism and the art of René Magritte, the body in modern and contemporary art, and Abraham Lincoln’s influence on America art and culture.

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Image of Professor Katherine Markoski
Katherine Markoski

Professorial Lecturer, Art History Program

Katherine Markoski is an art historian with a specialty in modern and contemporary art. As the 2009-10 recipient of the Dedalus Foundation Dissertation Fellowship and a 2014-15 Smithsonian American Art Museum Postdoctoral Fellowship, Markoski examined the significance of notions of community to artistic practice at Black Mountain College.
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Lynn Matheny
Lynn Matheny

Professorial Lecturer, Art History Program

Dr. Matheny currently serves as Deputy Head of Interpretation at the National Gallery of Art, leading a team of educators to shape interpretation of both the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.
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Mika Natif
Mika Natif

Associate Professor of Art History; Director of Graduate Studies, Art History

Mika Natif is an Islamic Art Historian who focuses on trans-cultural artistic connections between Muslim societies and Europe, diversity and religious tolerance in Islamic art, and the role of women as patrons, artists, and subject matter in the pre-modern Persianate spheres.
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hand drawn sketch of bibiana obler by student, Travis Beauchene
Bibiana Obler

Program Head and Associate Professor of Art History

Professor Obler's research and teaching interests include modern and contemporary art and craft from the late nineteenth century to the present, with emphases on twentieth-century avant-gardes, theories of gender and cross-cultural representation, photography, applied arts, and intellectual history.
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Jacob Rangel

Academic Program Administrator for Art History

Jacob is the Academic Department Administrator for Art History. He manages the day-to-day operations of the program while working with faculty, staff, and stude

Paul Reuther
Paul Reuther

Visual Resources Coordinator

Paul Reuther is the Visual Resources Coordinator. Paul is a painter, a teacher, and an image collections curator. Paul currently teaches Technical Art History (AH3170) and heads the Visual Resources Center in the Art History Program.
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Sandra Tropper
Sandra Tropper

Professorial Lecturer, Art History Program

Sandra Tropper has been a fine art appraiser and consultant in the Washington D.C. area for more than 25 years. She holds the designation of Fellow in the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) and has a specialty in Fine Arts.

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photo of barbara von barghahn
Barbara von Barghahn

Professor of Art History, Art History Program

Professor von Barghahn is a Professor of Art History. She teaches Northern Renaissance and Baroque art, Spanish and Portuguese art, colonial art

Alan Wallach
Alan Wallach

Professorial Lecturer, Art History Program

Alan Wallach taught at Kean College of New Jersey and was the holder of an endowed chair at the College of William and Mary. He has served as a visiting professor at UCLA, Stanford, the University of Delaware, Williams, and the Free University of Berlin. In 2007 he was the recipient of the College Art Association’s award for the Distinguished Teaching of Art History. Read More  


Christopher C. Wilson
Christopher C. Wilson

Professorial Lecturer, Art History Program

Christopher Wilson is a specialist in art of Early Modern Europe and Colonial Latin America. His work concentrates on the intersection of gender and sanctity, with particular focus on the iconography and artistic patronage of the Discalced Carmelite Order. Read More