I am an early modern art historian. I studied at the University of Paris X-Nanterre and the University of Lausanne, where I completed my PhD in 2005. My book based on this thesis, Peindre et penser la peinture au XVIIe siècle : la théorie de l’art de Samuel van Hoogstraten, was published in 2008. I worked as an assistant and as a senior assistant at the University of Lausanne (2003-2010). I later occupied the position of associate professor and became a full professor at the University of Geneva (2010-2024). Since the summer of 2024, I am a full professor of early modern art history at the University of Lausanne.
My research focuses on the theories and practices of art in Northern Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, with a particular interest in France, the Netherlands, and Great Britain. A central part of my work involves critically studying art literature from the early modern period (15th-18th centuries). I explore theoretical and critical texts that shaped artistic thought during this time. I am also interested in the emergence and evolution of artistic genres and their interpretation throughout history. Additionally, I study the methods and history of art history as a discipline, looking at how it interacts with other fields in the humanities and social sciences.
More recently, my work has shifted to new areas, particularly the relationship between art history and environmental history. This includes topics such as disaster studies, animal studies, and plant studies, as well as the use and benefits of digital humanities in art history.
I am one of the five principal investigators of Capturing the Present, where I co-lead work-package number one with Estelle Doudet (University of Lausanne): Figuring Moments – Discursive and Visual Forms of the Present. Together with Thalia Brero (University of Neuchâtel), I am preparing a book titled Ego-events and Individual Calendars: The Emergence of Personal Dates.