Camille Paglia to Speak on Portraiture at Vista Foundation Lecture

On Oct. 6, the School of Art at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning will host author and educator Camille Paglia for the school’s annual Vista Foundation Lecture.

Known for uniquely thought-provoking viewpoints that challenge accepted cultural dialogues, Paglia’s talk at DAAP will examine how innovation has impacted the art of portraiture, dating back to the societies of Ancient Egypt and Rome.

Time Magazine once described Paglia as a cultural iconoclast and contrarian feminist. When she speaks at DAAP this fall, she’ll delve into art history to connect specific innovations to booms in portraiture, such as the inventions of oil painting during the Renaissance and photography in the 19th century, before posing how smartphone innovation has impacted the genre, with the cultural phenomenon of the selfie putting the power of portraiture into the hands of everyone.

“Portraiture is an ever-relevant genre of art making,” says DAAP School of Art Director Kate Bonansinga. “Dr. Paglia’s perspective will no doubt inspire a dialog at DAAP and beyond about the role of art history in the shaping of contemporary self identity.”

Paglia, who teaches at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, was featured this summer in a series of

interviews

discussing everything from the consumerization of American college campuses to what she termed as “mattress feminism” on Salon.com, the website that she co-founded as a contributor and columnist. Paglia’s most recent book, "Glittering Images: A Journey through Art from Egypt to Star Wars," was published in 2012, and her third essay collection is currently under contract to Pantheon Books.  

The Vista Foundation supports both the pursuit of the study of art history and the School of Art at DAAP. The foundation’s annual lecture is held each fall and brings notable artists, art writers, art curators and art historians to DAAP.

DETAILS

Vista Foundation Lecture: Camille Paglia

“From Egyptian Death Mask to Social Selfie: How innovation drives the art of portraiture”

5 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6

4400 Aronoff Center for Design and Art at the University of Cincinnati (DAAP)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Kate Bonansinga

Director, School of Art

University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning

kathryn.bonansinga@uc.edu

513-556-5132

ABOUT CAMILLE PAGLIA

Camille Paglia is the University Professor of Humanities and Media Studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she has taught since 1984. She received her B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1968 and her M.Phil. and PhD degrees from Yale University in 1971 and 1974 respectively.

Her six books are: "Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson" (1990); "Sex, Art, and American Culture" (1992); "Vamps & Tramps: New Essay"s (1994); "The Birds, a study of Alfred Hitchcock," published in 1998 by the British Film Institute in its Film Classics Series; "Break, Blow, Burn: Camille Paglia Reads Forty-Three of the World's Best Poems" (2005), and "Glittering Images: A Journey through Art from Egypt to Star Wars" (2012).  Her third essay collection is under contract to Pantheon Books.  

Paglia was a co-founding contributor and columnist for Salon.com, beginning with its debut issue in 1995.  She has written numerous articles on art, literature, popular culture, feminism, politics and religion for publications around the world.  Her essay “Theater of Gender: David Bowie at the Climax of the Sexual Revolution” was commissioned by the Victoria & Albert Museum for the catalog of its major exhibit of Bowie costumes, which opened in London in 2013 and is currently touring internationally.

ABOUT DAAP

The University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) is a comprehensive research and design institution offering undergraduate majors in Architecture, Art History, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Graphic Communication Design, Horticulture, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Urban Planning, and Urban Studies. DAAP also offers the following graduate degrees in Architecture, Art Education, Community Planning, Design, Fine Arts, and Regional Development Planning.

DAAP’s primary mission is the creation of a better visual and design environment, which is achieved through excellence in educational programs, research, creative works, and service to the community, the faculty, the students, and administrative officers. DAAP’s programs within the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning are, year-after-year, ranked among the very best in both a world and national class. Visit DAAP at

daap.uc.edu

.