Art history professor Agnieszka Szymańska has been awarded membership to the Institute for Advanced Study this fall.

Founded in 1930, the Princeton, New Jersey-based Institute is an independent center for research and intellectual inquiry that has served as a home for many preeminent scholars, including Albert Einstein.

This fall, Szymańska will be one of about 200 members — including historians, mathematicians, natural scientists, and social scientists — visiting the Institute from around the world.

An art historian, Szymańska is an expert on the architecture and painted decoration of late antique and medieval monasteries in the Mediterranean. While at the IAS, she will begin working on a new book that examines the immersive nature of monastic prayer spaces in Egypt. Szymańska likened the painted monastic cells to a type of virtual reality that prompted otherworldly visions.

Rare for an art historian, Szymańska works directly on archeological sites, and has conducted field work in countries including Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus, Jordan, and Greece.

“I am very grateful for the support of the Institute for Advanced Study,” said Szymańska. “It’s an honor to join this international community of scholars, and I look forward to continuing to bridge the gap between classical archaeology, religious studies, and art history.” 

Szymańska has taught at UR since 2017. She has previously received fellowships from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harvard University’s center for Byzantine studies, and Getty/ACLS.

Her first book, Sacred Spectating in Late Antique Egypt: Monastic Painting as Spiritual Experience, is forthcoming and will be published by Cambridge University Press.