Marian Berthoud

Marian Berthoud is a Research Fellow at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, part of the Max Planck Society. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History at Temple University. Her academic background includes an M.Phil. in Irish History of Art from Trinity College Dublin (2017) and a B.A. in Art History & Arts Management from the University of San Francisco (2014). She served as a Teaching Assistant and Instructor of Record at Temple University (2018–2021), teaching writing-intensive undergraduate courses in art history.

• Research Focus: Baroque architecture and urban planning in Spanish Sicily, Mediterranean urban development, and the impact of natural disasters on architectural practices.
• Awards: Edilia and François-Auguste de Montêquin Junior Scholar Fellowship, Kress Fellowship, and Research Residency at the Centro per la Storia dell’Arte e dell’Architettura delle Città Portuali.

Her current project, Catastrophizing the City: Baroque Architecture and Urban Planning in Spanish Sicily, ca. 1669-1759, explores how natural disasters influenced the evolution of Renaissance to Baroque cities. The research examines Spanish imperial administrative practices and architectural adaptations, such as the use of central town squares for communal shelter.