The NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Institute will host the first public talk by Mariët Westermann as the University’s Vice Chancellor and faculty member on Wednesday, January 29 at 5:30pm. As a historian of Netherlandish art, Westermann will discuss the story behind the lemon being a signature element in Dutch still-life in the 17th century.
During the talk, titled The Emergence of the Lemon Twist in Dutch Still Life, Westermann will discuss the interdisciplinary story of the lemon’s rise in botany, horticulture, art, and trade in early modern Europe. She will delve into how an artfully peeled lemon was a beloved detail of Dutch still-life painters in the 17th century, where they set the citrus fruit on a path of pictorial pleasure for centuries.
Prior to her joining NYU Abu Dhabi as Vice Chancellor in August, 2019, Westermann was with the Mellon Foundation since 2010, and was the executive vice president for programs and research since 2016. In that role, she launched initiatives that study and promote the value of the humanities and the liberal arts, strengthen community colleges, encourage graduate education reform, renew preservation of cultural heritage around the world, and support scholars and artists at risk.
Prior to the Foundation she was on the faculty at NYU, first as director of the Institute of Fine Arts and then as the first provost of NYU Abu Dhabi. Before joining NYU in 2002, she was associate director of research at the Clark Art Institute. From 1995 to 2001, she was an assistant and associate professor of art history at Rutgers University.
To register for the talk, please follow this link.
Event details:
Talk: The Emergence of the Lemon Twist in Dutch Still Life
Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Time: 5:30pm
Location: The NYU Abu Dhabi Institute
Free, open to the public
