Rachel Catherine Patt

Rachel Catherine Patt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at the University of Notre Dame. Her work bridges Art History and Byzantine Studies, focusing on ancient Mediterranean and Late Antique visual culture.

• Education: Ph.D. from Emory University, M.A. from The Courtauld Institute of Art, B.A. from Stanford University.

Her research interrogates the historiographic stakes of art history in technologizing societies. She explores themes of pothos (longing) in Roman portraiture and Byzantine icons, materiality, and the ecological ethics of Roman luxury. Recent publications analyze gold-glass portraiture and its connections to cultural memory and regional identity.

Her scholarship has been supported by prestigious institutions including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts. She is actively involved in curatorial practice, contributing to exhibitions at the J. Paul Getty Museum and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

• Scientific Awards: Mary Seeger O’Boyle Postdoctoral Fellowship; grants from the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, International Catacomb Society, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.