Louisa McKenzie

Dr. Louisa McKenzie is an Associate Fellow at the Warburg Institute, part of the School of Advanced Study, University of London. As an art historian specializing in the devotional art and material culture of late medieval and Renaissance Europe, particularly Italy, she brings expertise in intersections between materials, iconography, and meaning. Her academic journey includes a PhD in History of Art, MA in Art History, Curatorship and Renaissance Culture, MA in History of Art, and BA (Hons) in Theology.

Dr. McKenzie's research focuses on how workshop organization and practice relate to technical and aesthetic exchanges across media. She has developed an interactive digital map of Florentine wax workshops (1300-1500) and co-founded the 'A Material World' lecture and seminar series at the Warburg Institute. She is also a member of the international collaborative research project 'Mapping La Sfera,' which applies geospatial tools to analyze 'La Sfera,' a treatise by Florentine merchant Gregorio 'Goro' Dati. Her current project re-evaluates the place of wax sculpture in the wider fine and decorative arts of fifteenth-century Florence, forming the basis of her monograph 'Re-materialising the Florentine Wax Ex-Voto' under contract with De Gruyter.

Her publications span both academic and public-facing outlets, with a notable trend toward making historical material culture accessible to contemporary audiences. The articles demonstrate her ability to connect historical practices with current trends, particularly in fashion, beauty, and collecting. Her work frequently explores the evolution of material objects and their cultural significance across centuries.

Dr. McKenzie has presented her research at numerous international conferences including the Renaissance Society of America Annual Conference and has co-organized workshops on digital humanities methodologies. She has teaching experience at UCL, the Warburg Institute, and in private sector settings, covering history of art, language skills, and digital humanities techniques.

Her work extends to exploring patronage practices of traditionally underrepresented groups such as the socio-economically disadvantaged, women, and the disabled, as well as strategies for visualizing individual and corporate identity in historical contexts. She has received funding for her research through an LAHP (AHRC) Doctoral Studentship for her project 'Waxing devotion: the economic and devotional lifecycles of wax ex-votos in Florence 1300-1500' which ran between 2019 and 2023.