• The Rocky Mountains, Lander's PeakAlbert Bierstadt, The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak, 1863, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Coutances: Cathédrale Notre-DameCoutances: Cathédrale Notre-Dame, 1218-91, Coutances, France. Photo from mappinggothicfrance.org.
  • Davis Album; Princess Entertaining a Visitor on the BalconyDavis Album; Princess Entertaining a Visitor on the Balcony (detail), 18th century, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Bullfight in a Divided RingAttributed to Francisco de Goya, Bullfight in a Divided Ring (detail), The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Sokol Metro Station, MoscowK. N. Iakovlev, V. G. Polikarpova, V. M. Andreev, Sokol Metro Station, Moscow. Photo by Richard Anderson.
  • Valley of the Yosemite from Glacier Point (no. 33)Eadweard Muybridge, Valley of the Yosemite from Glacier Point (no. 33), 1872
  • Buddhist SageWang Zhen, Buddhist Sage, 1928, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Virgin and Child with Saints Catherine of Alexandria and BarbaraHans Memling, Virgin and Child with Saints Catherine of Alexandria and Barbara, early 1480s, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Wearing BlanketNavajo, Wearing Blanket, 1860-1870, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Amiens Cathedral, Interior, East Chevet ElevationAmiens Cathedral, Interior, East Chevet Elevation. Photo from mappinggothicfrance.org.
  • Dance of the masksDogon Dance of the masks, Danana mask dancer in pursuit of Dyomo mask dancer, Sangha, Mali, 2008. Photo by James Conlon.
  • View of the Gardens, Château de VersaillesView of the Gardens, Château de Versailles, Versailles, France
  • The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from ParadiseGiovanni di Paolo, The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise, 1445, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Mayapan: Urban Core with Round Temple, Temple of Niches, Castle of Kukulcan, CrematoriumMayapan: Urban Core with Round Temple, Temple of Niches, Castle of Kukulcan, Crematorium, ca. 1260-1440, Mayapan, Mexico
  • Parthenon, Southern Metope 27Parthenon, Southern Metope 27, 447-440 BCE, Athens, Greece, The British Museum. Photo by Ioannis Mylonopoulos.
  • Evening in Hopi landEdward Curtis, Evening in Hopi land, ca. 1906, Library of Congress
  • The Golden AgeJean Baptiste Joseph Pater, The Golden Age, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Wolf and Fox HuntPeter Paul Rubens and Workshop, Wolf and Fox Hunt, ca. 1615-21, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Forum of TrajanForum of Trajan, 112 CE, Rome, Italy, The Hartill Archive of Architecture and Allied Arts
  • Jantar MantarJantar Mantar, early 18th century, New Delhi, India. Photo by Caleb Smith.
  • The Pond - MoonriseEdward Steichen, The Pond - Moonrise, 1904, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Biophon TheaterArthur Wolff, Biophon Theater, 1913, Berlin, Germany
  • Temple of PoseidonTemple of Poseidon, 5th century BCE, Cape Sounion, Greece
  • Sculpture at PersepolisSculpture (detail), 5th-6th century BCE, Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid), Iran, Mellink Archive (Bryn Mawr College)
  • Amiens: Cathédrale Notre-DameAmiens: Cathédrale Notre-Dame, 1220-69, Amiens, France. Photo from mappinggothicfrance.org.
  • Zhang Shiqing's tomb, East wall in rear chamber (Liao Dynasty)Zhang Shiqing's tomb, East wall in rear chamber (Liao Dynasty), 1093-1117, Xuanhua Xian, China
  • Ishtar Gate, Babylon: Processional Way, detail of guardian lions on left sideIshtar Gate, Babylon: Processional Way, detail of guardian lions on left side, ca. 575 BCE, Pergamon Museum, Berlin
  • Portrait of Islam Khan MashhadiPayag, Portrait of Islam Khan Mashhadi (detail), 17th century, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • The EpiphanyGiotto di Bondone, The Epiphany (detail), ca. 1320, Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Portable Altar of Countess GertrudePortable Altar of Countess Gertrude, ca. 1045, The Cleveland Museum of Art
  • Archangel Michael, Capella Palatina, Dome (detail)Archangel Michael, Capella Palatina, Dome (detail), ca. 1150, Palermo, Italy. Photo by Holger A. Klein.
  • Maritime Theater, Hadrian's VillaMaritime Theater, Hadrian's Villa, 118-125 CE, Tivoli, Italy
  • Kakushigi (Kuo Tzu-i)Maruyama Okyo, Kakushigi (Kuo Tzu-i), 18th century, Daijoji Temple, Japan. Photo by Caleb Smith.
  • Persimmon (detail)Robert Rauschenberg, Persimmon (detail), 1964
  • Rebus (detail)Robert Rauschenberg, Rebus (detail), 1955, The Museum of Modern Art
  • Yellow Circle (detail)László Moholy-Nagy, Yellow Circle (detail), 1921, The Museum of Modern Art
  • Marquise Casati (detail)Man Ray, Marquise Casati (detail), 1922, Philadelphia Museum of Art
  • Pendant Mask: IyobaEdo, Court of Benin, Pendant Mask: Iyoba, 16th century, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Empire (still from film)Andy Warhol, Empire (still from film), 1964
  • Scherzo di FolliaPierre-Louis Pierson, Scherzo di Follia (detail), 1863-66, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Edo-Tokyo MuseumKiyonori Kikutake, Edo-Tokyo Museum, 1992, Tokyo, Japan
  • Nagasawa Rosetsu, Monkeys, late 18th century, Daijoji Temple, Japan. Photo by Caleb Smith.
  • Kailasanatha TempleKailasanatha Temple, 8th Century, Ellora Caves, India
  • Zhang Shigu's tomb, Playing Music (Liao Dynasty), (detail)Zhang Shigu's tomb, Playing Music (Liao Dynasty) (detail), 1093-1117, Xuanhua Xian, China
  • Moulin de la GalettePablo Picasso, Moulin de la Galette, 1900, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
  • BoatingÉdouard Manet, Boating (detail), 1874, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

When the National Research Council, in its most recent report, rated Columbia as the foremost institution in the nation for art history scholarship, it again recognized a legacy of excellence dating back more than seven decades. Meyer Schapiro earned Columbia's first Ph.D. in the field in 1929 with a dissertation that was to revolutionize the study of Romanesque art. In the years since, scholars here have shaped nearly every area of study in the field: pre-Columbian to postmodern, style analysis to critical theory.

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