Mateusz Mayer

Mateusz is a Ph.D. candidate specializing in European Art ca. 1400–1800, with a focus on portraiture. His dissertation examines how especially Albrecht Dürer’s (1471–1528) activity as a portraitist provides insights into conceptions of selfhood, gender, and virtue around 1500. Mateusz is further interested in Renaissance drawing and printmaking practices, Renaissance Merchant culture, the artistic intersections between Italy and Northern Europe, and, more broadly, the socio-political and scientific dimension of early modern art.

As a 2023-24 Mellon Humanities Travel Fellow, Mateusz currently conducts dissertation research in Austria, Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. His work has been generously supported by the Dutch University Institute for Art History in Florence (NIKI), the Center for Curatorial Leadership, the C.V. Starr Foundation, Columbia’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Save Venice, and the Casa Muraro (via the Packard Humanities Institute), among others.

Mateusz holds a Magister degree in Art History from the University of Vienna and an MPhil in Art History from the University of Cambridge (both with distinction). Prior to pursuing his doctorate, he worked in the curatorial departments of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Austrian National Gallery Belvedere, and Klosterneuburg Abbey.

Recent Conference Talks:

“A Merchant’s Admonition: The Double-Sided Portrait of a Young Man by Albrecht Dürer.” IFA-Frick Symposium, New York, April 5, 2024.

“Albrecht Dürer: Capturing Likeness in Prints & Drawings.” Het Nederlands Interuniversitair Kunsthistorisch Instituut (NIKI), Florence, Italy, February 27, 2024.

“Zwischen Freundschaft & Physiognomik: Dürer als Porträtist.” Dürer Haus, Nuremberg, Germany, October 14, 2023.

“Dürer’s Portraits, Friendship Rituals, and the Pursuit of Physiognomy.” Art & Ritual Symposium, Cambridge University, UK, March 13, 2023.