Tom Nickson

Dr Tom Nickson is a Reader in Medieval Art & Architecture at The Courtauld Institute of Art, specializing in Gothic architecture, medieval Iberian art, and cross-cultural interactions between Christian, Islamic, and Jewish traditions. His research focuses on architecture’s role in power dynamics, light symbolism, and post-conquest urban transformations in medieval Spain. He has published extensively on Toledo and Seville cathedrals, medieval inscriptions, and the material culture of religious conversion.

Teaching includes MA courses on medieval art, Gothic encounters, and interfaith dynamics in Spain, alongside BA modules on Westminster art, medieval Spanish identities, and art reproduction debates. He supervises PhD students researching Spanish medieval architecture, liturgical monuments, and architectural historiography.

Recent publications include Gothic Architecture in Spain: Invention and Imitation (2020) and articles on tower symbolism, Alfonso X’s patronage, and light in Canterbury’s Becket cult. His current book project explores Iberian architecture from the 12th to 15th centuries.

Research highlights include studies of Toledo Cathedral’s choir screen polemics, Seville’s apotropaic bronze doors, and the acoustic transformations of post-conquest Iberian religious spaces. He actively engages with digital tools for reconstructing medieval liturgical environments.