Jeffrey Muller

Jeffrey Muller is a Professor in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at Brown University. His research integrates history and art history to investigate major transformations in early modern art, with current focus on the Jesuit Global Strategy of Accommodation. He earned his Ph.D. from Yale University, with additional degrees from Yale and Queens College (CUNY).

Muller's research examines how art participated in religious, social, and political changes during the Counter-Reformation, with special emphasis on Flemish/Dutch art and Jesuit cultural adaptation across global contexts from Japan to Peru. His methodological approach combines archival research with object-based analysis.

His publications demonstrate sustained focus on Rubens studies, Jesuit visual culture, and the sociopolitical functions of religious art. Recurring themes include artistic exchange, material culture in sacred spaces, and cross-cultural negotiation in colonial contexts. Notable fellowships include a senior fellowship at Boston College's Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies that enabled his current research trajectory.

Awards and Honors:

• Senior Research Fellowship, Boston College (2016)
• Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship (2001-2002)
• Arthur Kingsley Porter Prize for Best Article (1982)
• Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship (1989-1990)

Muller teaches undergraduate courses spanning early modern art from Giotto to Watteau, specialized lectures on Flemish/Dutch art, and graduate seminars aligned with student research interests. He co-teaches a collaborative course on the global history of the Netherlands with History Department colleagues.