Susan Wager

Susan Wager is an Assistant Professor in Art and Art History at the University of New Hampshire, specializing in 18th- and 19th-century European art and material culture. Her research examines the social, political, and material significance of image transmission in the early modern period, with a focus on François Boucher and Madame de Pompadour. She holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University's Department of Art History & Archaeology (2015), preceded by a B.A. (magna cum laude), M.A., and M.Phil. from Columbia College and Columbia University.

Professor Wager has curated major exhibitions, including 'Madame de Pompadour, Patron and Printmaker' at the Walters Art Museum (2015). Her awards include the Samuel H. Kress Fellowship (2012–2014) and grants from the Mellon Foundation and American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies. Her recent publications explore porcelain aesthetics, curatorial practices, and the interplay between art, luxury, and power in Enlightenment France.

• Education:
  • B.A. in French and Art History, Columbia College (magna cum laude)
  • M.A. and M.Phil., Columbia University
  • Ph.D. in Art History & Archaeology, Columbia University (dissertation: 'Boucher’s Bijoux: Luxury Reproduction in the Age of Enlightenment')

Her research interests span 18th-century French art, material culture, gender studies, and the history of printmaking. She frequently teaches courses like 'Sex & Sensuality in 18th-C Art' and 'Histories of European Modernism.' Her work bridges art theory, intellectual history, and the socio-political dimensions of artistic production.