Niccola Shearman

Niccola Shearman is a historian specializing in twentieth-century European art, particularly Germany and Austria to 1945. She is affiliated with The Courtauld Institute of Art as an Associate Lecturer since 2014 (with future appointments in 2024-25) and taught at the University of Manchester (2019-2023). Her expertise spans printmaking history, Weimar Republic art, and Viennese modernism.

• PhD, Courtauld Institute of Art (2018)
• MA in the History of Art, Courtauld Institute (2007)
• PGCE in German and French, London University Institute of Education (1988)
• BA Hons in Modern Languages, Oxford University (1986)

Her research focuses on printmaking's role during volatile historical periods, overlapping with empathy theories and Gestalt psychology. She explores the emotional investment in woodcut techniques post-WWI, the visual demands of Feininger’s works, and the Gothic line in Barlach's art. She also examines Viennese modernism and artistic exile in the UK.

Niccola's publications include studies on Expressionist printmaking, Blaue Reiter almanacs, and Gestalt School influences. She is co-editing a 2025 volume honoring Dr. Shulamith Behr and will curate a 2024 Courtauld Gallery display on Expressionist works on paper.

She has taught diverse undergraduate courses, led short courses, and participated in study tours to Munich and Vienna. Her editorial work includes contributions to the Courtauld Institute journal, The Burlington Magazine, and Prints Quarterly.