Professor Caroline van Eck is Professor of Art History at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of King’s College. Her interdisciplinary research is defined by the intersection of Art Anthropology Classical Reception Cambridge, 18th and 19th century art, and aesthetic theory. She is internationally recognized for her work on classical reception and the anthropology of art, particularly the concepts of agency, living presence, and ‘excessive objects’ in figures like Piranesi and Canova. Professor van Eck is the recipient of numerous high honours, including the Prix Descartes-Huygens and the Grand Prix du Rayonnement de la Littérature et Culture Françaises.
Professor Caroline van Eck, Professor of Art History | Art Anthropology Classical Reception Cambridge
- Fellow and Director of Studies at King’s College
Quick Profile Summary
| Detail | Content |
|---|---|
| Position | Professor of Art History |
| Affiliation | University of Cambridge; King’s College |
| Key Background | Slade Lecturer (Oxford, 2017), Professor at Leiden University (2006-2016), French/Dutch high academic honours, PhD in Aesthetics (cum laude) |
| Specialization | 18th and Early 19th Century Art and Architectural History, Classical Reception, Art Theory, Anthropology of Art |
| Core Focus | Agency and Material Presence of Artworks, Mimesis, Mimicry, and the relationship between art, rhetoric, and evolution theory. |
Introduction and Research Niche
Professor Caroline van Eck is a distinguished, multi-award-winning scholar whose research radically re-frames the history of 18th and 19th century art through the lens of Art Anthropology Classical Reception Cambridge. Having trained in art history, classics, and philosophy, her work is fundamentally interdisciplinary, challenging conventional boundaries between aesthetics, material culture, and the classical past.
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Her central contribution lies in exploring the agency and material presence of artworks—what she terms “living presence”—and the status of “excessive objects” (like Piranesi’s candelabra) that defy simple classification. Since January 2025, she co-directs a major FWO-funded research program on the complex relationship between mimesis, mimicry, and the theatre across Antiquity, the 18th century, and evolution theories.
Graduate Research Opportunities (For 2024-2025 Applications)
Professor van Eck is actively welcoming MPhil and PhD applications for the 2024-2025 academic year on topics related to her core interests. Her supervisory expertise is organized around the following three streams:
1. Research Stream: Classical Reception, 18th and 19th Century Art
This stream explores the continuous, dynamic engagement with classical antiquity in the early modern and modern periods, particularly focusing on art, architecture, and theoretical writings.
- Topics: Classical reception and revivalist styles in a global context; French art, architecture, and interior design from 1750 to 1900; Neoclassicism and its material culture (e.g., Piranesi and Canova); the role of female art historians in the rediscovery of Quattrocento art; history of collecting and display.
2. Research Stream: The Anthropology of Art and Agency
Focused on her seminal theoretical work, this area addresses the active life and power of objects in culture, drawing heavily on anthropological theory (like Alfred Gell) and classical rhetoric.
- Topics: Art, agency, and living presence in the 18th and 19th centuries; classical rhetoric and its application to the arts in Early Modern Europe; analysis of “art works that refuse to behave”; the role of the animated image and the dynamics of cultural transformation (e.g., the Hôtel de Beauharnais).
3. Interdisciplinary Focus: Camouflage, Mimicry, and Mimesis
This stream focuses on her cutting-edge work on the history of concepts related to imitation, deceit, and adaptation, co-directing a major European research program on this topic.
- Topics: Camouflage and mimicry as ways of thinking about human art and cultural techniques; the relationship between mimesis, mimicry, and the theatre; connections between these concepts and 19th-century evolution theories and German historiography (e.g., animal hybrids).
Key Awards and Professional Roles
| Year | Award / Fellowship | Institution / Body |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Honorary Doctorate | University of Neuchâtel |
| 2015 | Chevalier of the Ordre National du Mérite | Government of France |
| 2015 | Grand Prix du Rayonnement de la Littérature et Culture Françaises | Académie Française |
| 2014 | Prix Descartes-Huygens | Académie des Sciences, France & Dutch Royal Academy of Sciences |
| N/A | Visiting Fellow / Professor | Warburg Institute, Paul Mellon Centre (Yale), Villa I Tatti (Harvard) |
Selected Publications
Monograph (2023): Piranesi’s Candelabra and the Revival of the Past. Excessive Objects and the Emergence of Style in the Age of Neoclassicism. Oxford University Press.
Monograph (2015): Art, Agency and Living Presence. From the Animated Image to the Excessive Object. Walter De Gruyter/Leiden University Press.
Monograph (2007): Classical Rhetoric and the Arts in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press.
Journal Article (2025): “From Nineveh to Pergamon and back: Animal hybrids in German historiography of the nineteenth century.” RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics.
Journal Article (2023): “Notes on the prehistory of camouflage as a cultural technique.” W86th 30/1.
Contact Information
Prospective students interested in supervision should reach out via the following channels:
| Detail | Content |
|---|---|
| Email Address
Phone Number |
cav35@cam.ac.uk
01223 332978 (Department Office) |
| College Affiliation | King’s College |
| University Profile Page | Professor Caroline van Eck’s University of Cambridge Profile |
Supervisory Ethos
Professor van Eck’s supervisory ethos is founded on rigorous interdisciplinarity, theoretical sophistication, and methodological innovation. She encourages students to bridge perceived divides between art history, classics, philosophy, and anthropology, central to the spirit of Art Anthropology Classical Reception Cambridge. She seeks candidates who are eager to challenge conventional historical narratives, engage deeply with both primary source material (visual, architectural, and textual), and theoretical frameworks to produce impactful scholarship, particularly those focusing on agency, the role of objects, and the continued life of the classical past.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Is Professor van Eck currently accepting new PhD students?
Yes. She is actively welcoming MPhil and PhD applications for the upcoming academic year (2024-2025) on topics related to her research, especially classical reception, French art (1750-1900), and camouflage.
2. What is the main time period of her research?
Her primary focus is the 18th century and early 19th century (the Age of Neoclassicism), but her work on classical reception and the anthropology of art extends to Antiquity and 19th century evolution theories.
3. What does “Art, Agency and Living Presence” refer to?
This is the title of her 2015 book and refers to her core theoretical concept: the study of artworks as having agency (the power to affect viewers and the world) and possessing a “living presence,” as understood in historical and anthropological contexts.
4. What is an “Excessive Object” in her work?
An “excessive object” is one, like Piranesi’s late candelabra, that is so complex, overloaded, or aggressively revivalist that it defies easy categorization or style, acting as a disruptive force in art history.
5. What is her involvement in the new research program on mimesis?
Since January 2025, she has been the co-director of a major, five-year research program (funded by the Flemish Research Council) focused on the relations between mimesis, mimicry, and the theatre across different historical periods.
6. Does she supervise on art and architecture from outside of Italy?
Yes. She explicitly welcomes applications on French art, architecture, and interior design from 1750 to 1900, as well as $19^{th}$-century revivalist styles in a global context.
7. How is “camouflage and mimicry” related to art history?
Professor van Eck studies camouflage and mimicry as intellectual frameworks for thinking about human artistic practice—as ways of concealing, imitating, or adapting—and their surprising links to $18^{th}$-century theory and $19^{th}$-century science.
8. What kind of academic background is preferred for applicants?
Due to her interdisciplinary nature, candidates with backgrounds in History of Art, Classics, Philosophy, or Architectural History who wish to pursue a theoretically rigorous project are encouraged.
9. What major non-academic awards has Professor van Eck received?
She is a recipient of the prestigious Prix Descartes-Huygens (Dutch/French recognition) and the Grand Prix du Rayonnement de la Littérature et Culture Françaises from the Académie Française.
10. What is the scope of her work on Classical Rhetoric?
Her 2007 book, Classical Rhetoric and the Arts, explores how the ancient principles of rhetoric—the art of persuasion—were used as a theoretical framework for artistic and architectural creation in the Early Modern period.
