Caroline van Eck

Professor Caroline van Eck is a Professor of Art History at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with King's College as a Fellow and Director of Studies. She holds a PhD in Aesthetics from the University of Amsterdam (1994) and has taught at leading institutions including Leiden, the Warburg Institute, and Harvard’s Villa I Tatti. Her research focuses on 18th-19th century art theory, classical reception, and the anthropology of art, with recent work on mimesis, mimicry, and camouflage. She co-directs a five-year Flemish Research Council-funded program exploring mimesis and theater across antiquity, the 18th century, and evolutionary theory (2025–2030).

Notable achievements include the Prix Descartes-Huygens (2014), Chevalier of the Ordre National du Mérite (2015), and an honorary doctorate from the University of Neuchâtel (2016). Her supervision spans global revivalist styles, female art historians, and collecting histories. In 2024–2025, she welcomes PhD/MPhil students researching French art (1750–1900), classical reception, and camouflage theory.

Her publications include Art, Agency and Living Presence (2015), Piranesi's Candelabra (2023), and articles on Semper/Gell theory and Egyptian/Roman architectural dynamics. She actively collaborates with institutions like the Van Abbemuseum and the Cambridge Courtauld Russian Art Centre.