Pierre Rosenberg

Humanitas Visiting Professorship in History of Art (2013-2014)

The Humanitas Visiting Professorship in the History of Art at the University of Cambridge provides a dynamic opportunity for the study of art history and visual culture. It allows leading art historians and museums directors to share their multifaceted discipline with diverse audiences from inside and outside the field. The Visiting Professorship in History of Art has been made possible by the generous support of J.E. Safra and is hosted by St Clare College, Cambridge.

Pierre Rosenberg is the former Director of the Louvre.

Pierre Rosenberg’s Humanitas Visiting Professorship, entitled Poussin in England, brought France’s artistic treasures to the forefront of Cambridge’s art history scene. His series was highlighted by the recent acquisition of Poussin’s The Extreme Unction by the University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum.

Rosenberg’s first lecture, Eliezer and Rebecca, dealt with the theme of biblical narratives in Poussin’s oeuvre, which has captivated the minds of English art collectors since the seventeenth century.

His next lecture, Les Sacrements, examined the treatment of the seven sacraments in painting, examining their representation beyond a scrupulous respect for the archaeological truth.

Rosenberg’s final lecture, Poussin in England, examined the colourful history of England’s romance with Poussin, from the first of the artist’s paintings to arrive on English shores to the enthralling and polarising Poussin experts of the 20th century, Sir Denis Mahon and Antony Blunt.