DrMark De Vitis

As a Senior Lecturer in Art History at the University of Sydney, my role is to engage students with visual and material histories across time and cultures, exploring worlds that were painted, drawn, printed, and designed by artists and makers. Through my research, I uncover forgotten objects and histories, bringing overlooked stories to light to deepen our understanding of the many facets of human endeavour and experience.

My latest publication, the co-edited volume The Australian Object: Making Material Histories, demonstrates how a series of occluded or unruly objects can inform and enrich contemporary understandings of both distant and familiar Australian histories. Another recent publication, Whiz King: Urination as Divination in Prints for Louis XIV, shows how the close study of a previously neglected figure in a well-known print can generate new interpretations that connect us to cultures long past.

My research has been supported through fellowships and grants at the Cité internationale des arts (Paris), the Getty (Los Angeles), and the Newberry Library (Chicago).