Nancy S. Steinhardt

Nancy S. Steinhardt is a Professor of East Asian Art and Curator of Chinese Art at the University of Pennsylvania since 1982. She holds affiliations in the Department of History of Art, Department of Architecture, and the Penn Museum. With a PhD from Harvard (1981) and former Junior Fellowship there, her research focuses on Chinese art, architecture, and archaeology from the 2nd to 14th centuries, emphasizing cultural interactions at China's borders. She has authored/co-edited over 12 books, including China: an Architectural History (2019), and published over 100 articles. Steinhardt has received prestigious awards like the Alice David Hitchcock Book Award (2021) and multiple fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, NEH, and others.

Her research projects include Mongolia: Architecture and Archaeology and Modern Chinese Architecture: 180 Years. She has organized major conferences on topics like 'Middle-Period Archaeology in Mongolia' and 'Global Cities.' As an advisor and guest curator for institutions like the Metropolitan Museum and the Penn Museum, she promotes international collaborations in China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and Russia. Her teaching spans courses on Chinese archaeology, East Asian funerary arts, and the architectural history of the Mongol Empire.

Steinhardt’s work bridges academic and public spheres, with over 400 lectures and roles like Ailsa Mellon Bruce Senior Fellow at the National Gallery (2017). Her grants include the 2018 Penn Museum Director’s Field Research Grant and the 2001 Guggenheim Fellowship. She serves on the Society of Architectural Historians board, reflecting her leadership in architectural historiography.