Matt Lodder

Dr Matt Lodder is a Senior Lecturer in Art History and Theory and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Art History at the University of Essex, where he teaches European, American and Japanese art from the late 19th century to the present. He is also one of the University's Public Voice Scholars with research primarily focused on the application of art-historical methods to the history of Western tattooing from the 17th century to the present, with a principal focus on the professional era from the 1880s onwards.

His research interests include:

• Tattooing and body modification in historical and theoretical contexts
• Lowbrow, outsider, countercultural, kitsch and erotic art & visual culture
• The visual and cultural contexts of sex and sadomasochism, including pornography
• Internet and digital art
• Methodologies of art historical and visual culture study

Lodder has published extensively in academic venues including the Sculpture Journal and has contributed forewords for many popular books on tattooing. His first monograph, 'Painted People: Humanity in 21 Tattoos' was published by HarperCollins in 2022, followed by 'Tattoos: The Untold Story of a Modern Art' by Yale UP in 2024. His research demonstrates consistent focus on tattoo history, body modification practices, and the intersections of art with politics and sexuality across contemporary and historical contexts.

His notable awards include the Best History Podcast at the UK's Independent Podcast Awards 2023 for 'Beneath the Skin.' He has also served as presenter of the television series 'Art of Museums' which aired across Europe.

Lodder has supervised numerous PhD students in Art History and Theory, with completed theses covering diverse topics from London sex workers' ephemera to Japanese irezumi (tattoo) culture. His current research focuses on 'The History of Tattooing in Britain and America, 1600 - Present' and 'The Cultural Contexts of Operation Spanner / R v Brown.'