Daniel Sherman

Daniel Sherman serves as Lineberger Distinguished Professor in the Department of Art History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he has taught since fall 2008 after positions at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (where he directed the Center for 21st Century Studies) and Rice University. His scholarship centers on modern art and French cultural history from the 19th to mid-20th century.

Education:

• B.A. in History and Literature, Harvard University
• Ph.D. in History, Yale University

Professor Sherman’s research examines intersections of art, power, and cultural memory, with emphases on museum institutions, colonial legacies, and archaeological practices. His methodological approach prioritizes sensitivity to both formal artistic qualities and historical contexts of production. Key thematic trajectories include French primitivism’s relationship to imperialism, the politics of commemoration in interwar France, and archaeology’s mediation through media and empire.

Scientific Awards:

• J. Russell Major Prize for best book in French history
• Laurence Wylie Prize in French Cultural Studies
• Association of American Publishers Award (1999)
• David H. Pinkney Prize (2011)
• Alf Andrew Heggoy Prize (2012)

His research has received sustained support through major fellowships including Guggenheim, NEH, and Institute for Advanced Study awards. Professor Sherman advises graduate students on French art history and cultural institutions while leading two current projects: the history of newspaper clipping as information technology and Impressionist depictions of Paris’s Ile de la Cité.