Darius Spieth

Darius Spieth is the San Diego Alumni Association Chapter Alumni Professor and Art History Area Coordinator at Louisiana State University (LSU) in the College of Art & Design. His academic career spans roles including Mellon Visiting Professor at Caltech and Philip and Lynn Straus Curatorial Fellow at Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum. He holds a BA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, MA and PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA in finance from the International University of Japan.

His research focuses on modernism, art-economics intersections, and intellectual history. Notable works include Revolutionary Paris and the Market for Netherlandish Art (2018) and Napoleon’s Sorcerers: The Sophisians (2007). Current projects examine art market dynamics and mid-century African American sculptor Frank Hayden in collaboration with the Snite Museum of Art.

Teaching includes courses on art history surveys, prints, African art, and photography. Recent publications analyze Japanese investment impacts on art prices and Masonic influences in Napoleonic France.

He has contributed to exhibitions such as Ancient Egypt’s Mysteries and Freemasonry (2017) and translated texts by French Academy member Marc Fumaroli. His work bridges art historical analysis with economic frameworks, reflecting interdisciplinary scholarship.