October 28, 2009 

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Art and Art History will present cultural historian Ivan Gaskell of Harvard University and his lecture, "In Search of Christian Miraculous Images in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, and Beyond," at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Auditorium, 950 13th St. South, Birmingham.

The lecture is part of the Edward M. and Hermione C. Friend Lecture Series. Its inaugural lecture was in 2005 with Robert Storr, dean of the Yale University School of Art, commissioner of the 2007 Venice Biennale and former curator of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art.

Gaskell, Ph.D., is the Margaret S. Winthrop curator at the Harvard Art Museum and senior lecturer on history at Harvard University. He has lectured widely at universities and museums and has organized numerous exhibitions at the Fogg Art Museum. His scholarship is at the intersection of history, art history, anthropology, museology and philosophy. Gaskell has published books and articles on a wide range of topics, from the paintings of Vermeer to Native American baskets from Southern Louisiana. He is currently preparing a book on writing history from American artifacts from the 17th through 19th centuries. He also is researching an exhibition and publication on the aesthetics of degradation. His recent books include: Vermeer's Wager: Speculations on Art History, Theory, and Art Museums (Reaktion, 2000); Politics and Aesthetics in the Arts (Cambridge, 2000), co-edited with Salim Kemal; Performance and Authenticity in the Arts (Cambridge, 1999), co-edited with Salim Kemal; and Vermeer Studies (Studies in the History of Art 55, co-edited with Michiel Jonker (National Gallery of Art, 1998). He also has published numerous articles, essays and reviews.

About the UAB Department of Art and Art History

Located within a vibrant arts and cultural scene, the UAB Department of Art and Art History offers studies in ceramics, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, time-based media, art history and art education. Their faculty and students exhibit in local, regional and national galleries, contribute to many community-based projects and work closely with Birmingham's museums and galleries.