Janet O'Brien

Janet O'Brien is a PhD graduate and former Associate Lecturer at The Courtauld Institute of Art, specialising in eighteenth-century Iranian art, particularly the emergence of royal portraiture under Nādir Shāh. Her work bridges Persian, Indian, and European visual traditions, focusing on the king’s body as a political and cultural site. She holds multiple prestigious fellowships including the Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellowship and has contributed to major institutions like the Freer Gallery of Art and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Education:

• PhD in History of Art (The Courtauld Institute of Art, 2022)
• MA in History of Art (The Courtauld Institute of Art, 2015)
• BFA in Art History and Studio Art (University of Miami, 2013)
• Postgraduate Diplomas in Law and Engineering (2002–2000)

Research Interests:

• Royal portraiture and visual representation of kingship in Iran and India
• Transcultural visuality between Persian, Indian, and European art
• Ideas of empire and universal sovereignty in eighteenth-century Iran
• Concepts of the body politic and conceptions of power

Grants & Awards:

• Recipient of over 7 major grants, including the Smithsonian Predoctoral Fellowship
• Marion Jefferson Award (2013) for academic excellence

Professional Roles:

• Curatorial Assistant at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2015–2017)
• Research Assistant to Prof. Sussan Babaie (2017–2018)
• Teaching roles at The Courtauld and National Gallery London

Her research redefines how we understand Iranian kingship through art, particularly how Nādir Shāh’s visual legacy influenced later Qajar and Zand dynasties. She has lectured globally on topics like ‘Decolonising the Self’ at SOAS and ‘Islamic Art in Europe’ at the National Gallery.