Mandy Richter

Dr. Mandy Richter is a researcher at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz (KHI), part of the Max Planck Society, where she has worked in the Direktion Nova since October 2012. Her academic background includes studies in art history, American studies, and computer science at TU Dresden and Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa. She earned her PhD from TU Dresden in 2014 with a dissertation on the Renaissance of the Crouching Venus.

Her research focuses on Early Modern visual culture, particularly representations of the human body, female nudes, and indecency concepts in Renaissance art. She has made significant contributions to understanding sculpture in print (1480-1600) and Florentine decorative arts like cassoni and spalliere. Her work bridges art historical analysis with cultural studies approaches to examine how visual representations engaged with social norms around the body.

Richter's recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward examining the boundaries of decency in Early Modern visual culture, culminating in her 2023 co-edited volume Indecent Bodies in Early Modern Visual Culture. This work challenges traditional paradigms of Renaissance art history by exploring how representations considered 'indecent' functioned within their historical contexts and how they complicate our understanding of Early Modern visual culture.

Among her scientific contributions are:

• Co-editing Sculpture in Print, 1480-1600 (2021) with Anne Bloemacher and Marzia Faietti
• Co-editing Indecent Bodies in Early Modern Visual Culture (2023) with Fabian Jonietz and Alison G. Stewart
• Presenting research at major conferences including the Renaissance Society of America annual meetings
• Organizing scholarly sessions on indecency and de-idealization of the body

Richter actively participates in the academic community through conference organization, peer review, and collaborative research projects. Her work with the KHI's extensive photographic collection and library resources demonstrates her commitment to both traditional art historical methods and innovative approaches to visual culture studies.