David Peters Corbett

Professor David Peters Corbett serves as Professor of American Art at The Courtauld Institute of Art since 2016, following professorships at the University of York and University of East Anglia. He previously held visiting positions at Yale University, Clare Hall (Cambridge), St Catherine’s College (Oxford), and the École normale supérieure, and directed The Courtauld’s Centre for American Art from 2016-2023 after editing Art History journal (2007-2012).

His research centers on American and British art (1850-1950), with emphasis on painting traditions, Anglo-American artistic exchanges, and word-image relationships. Corbett critically examines art historical methodology, particularly how national narratives shape interpretations of transatlantic art movements and frontier identities. His work consistently bridges formal analysis with socio-political contexts of industrialization and urbanization.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals dominant themes in American urban landscapes (especially George Bellows’ excavation and boxing scenes), river/frontier paintings (Bingham, Lane), and cross-Channel artistic dialogues. His scholarship demonstrates methodological innovation through temporal studies, perceptual theory, and deconstructive approaches to modernist processes.

His honors include two Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowships (2008-2010), Terra Foundation Senior Research Fellowship (2009-2010), and prizes for The Modernity of English Art, 1914-1930 and The Geographies of Englishness (Guardian Book of the Year 2002). Additional recognition includes the Guardian designation for his co-edited volume on Englishness.

Corbett has supervised over 20 PhD students across UK, US, and European institutions, with current advisees including Alice Dodds (rural craft utopianism) and Zoe Mercer-Golden (Arthurian legends). His research is supported by Terra Foundation grants for The Courtauld’s Centre for American Art and Leverhulme Trust fellowships, reflecting sustained institutional investment in his transatlantic scholarship.

As founding director of The Courtauld’s Centre for American Art (2016-2023), he established a dedicated research hub fostering transnational collaborations, exhibitions, and publications in American art studies, significantly elevating the institution’s profile in this field.