Past Bross Lectures
The Bross Lectures have featured distinguished lecturers of international reputation, bringing their expertise on pre-1800 European art and architecture to audiences eager for insight and inspiration.
Upcoming Bross Lectures
Discover what’s on the horizon with our upcoming Bross Lectures—a series of engaging talks on topics related to pre-1800 European art and architecture by a scholar, or scholars, of international reputation.
Image: Jusepe de Ribera, Venus and Adonis, 1637, Galleria Corsini, Rome
About Bross Lectures
Explore the Bross Lecture Series and uncover the rich history of the Bross family whose legacy continues to make this series possible.
Louise Smith Bross Lecture Series
Endowed in memory of Louise Smith Bross, PhD 1994, and sponsored by the Department of Art History, the Louise Smith Bross Memorial Fund supports a triennial series of four lectures on any aspect of pre-1800 European art and architecture by a scholar, or scholars, of international reputation. The gift also funds the publication of the lectures by the University of Chicago Press.
Michael Suarez, S.J.: "The Book as Museum in Eighteenth-Century Europe"
Book historian Michael Suarez, S.J., examined how collections of antiquities in richly illustrated books, many calling themselves museums, flourished in the eighteenth century when the public museum became a significant cultural institution in western Europe. These beautiful books mobilize the museum, bringing new forms of knowledge organization to readers far and wide. The books display cultural capital and, often, political power as well. He used case studies from Florence, Paris, and Naples.
February 24, 2022
6 - 7:30 p.m. CDT
David Rubenstein Forum
David Ganz: "Where Did Newspaper Typeface Come From?"
David Ganz explored how influential scripts such as Caroline minuscule and Italian Humanistic served as models for typefaces like Times New Roman.
Peter Kornicki: Why Did Matsudaira Sadanobu Copy the Tale of the Genje Seven Times?"
Despite Japan’s Edo period's boom in commercial printing, Matsudaira Sadanobu, Japan's ruler from 1787-1793, hand-copied the Tale of Genji seven times. This highlights a fascinating contradiction: printed books were available, but many, including Sadanobu, clung to the art of manuscript writing. During his lecture, Peter Kornicki, one of the foremost experts in the history of the book in Japan, exposed the underworld of manuscript books, dealing with secret knowledge, shocking scandals, and obscure rituals.
Andrew Pettegree: "Was War Good for the Book Trade?"
War always brought suffering and hardship, but also opportunity for those who could adapt skillfully to the new circumstances. Much of this opportunism was deplorable, but publishers also recognized that new times required new authors and new types of book. In this presentation we offer an examination of how war impacted bookselling, reading, and the livelihoods of authors, and how far the lessons of wartime disruption were absorbed when the fighting ended.
May 13, 2026
6 to 7:30 p.m. CDT
David Rubenstein Forum
Parking
All the information you need about parking for the upcoming Paleography and the Book Lecture.
Past Visiting Scholars
Past lecturers for the Paleography and the Book Visiting Scholar Program have included distinguished scholars recognized for their expertise in manuscript studies, book history, and paleography. Their lectures have explored a wide range of topics, from the decoding of medieval scripts to the cultural significance of historical bookmaking traditions.