Prof. Mark Benford Abbe received his PhD in Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology (New York University, Institute of Fine Arts) and has an Advanced Certificate in the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (Conservation Center, New York University). At the University of Georgia, Abbe teaches a full complement of undergraduate and graduate courses on ancient Mediterranean art, architecture, and visual history. He approaches works of art as expressions of culture that are best elucidated by situating them within their historical, social, and philosophical contexts. He has been involved in archaeological fieldwork in the Mediterranean (including Italy, Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt) and he has received research fellowships from multiple institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the American School of Classical Studies, the Getty Research Institute, and the Gerda Henkel Stiftung. With scientific colleagues in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, he oversees the multidisciplinary Ancient Polychromy Network and he is associated faculty in the Department of Classics.

Statement: I specialize in Greek and Roman art history and have particular interests in the intersections of sculpture, painting, and materiality, especially in the Hellenistic and Roman worlds. My research and publications focus on Greek and Roman statuary and painting. I explore media and materiality, fracture and choice, natural color, applied pigments, and gilding; I also have long-standing interests in historic restorations and surface treatments/transformations. In my work and teaching, I emphasize the direct examination and multidisciplinary study of artworks (for example, by technical imaging and scientific analysis) to improve their cultural and historical contextualization. Other areas of my work involve studying recent sculptural finds from archaeological excavations as well as objects in museum collections. I welcome applications from prospective graduate students interested in ancient Greek and Roman art and visual culture with backgrounds in the history of art, classics, and archaeology.

Academia: uga.academia.edu/MarkAbbe

Courses Taught: ARHI 2111 Introduction to Art History (Honors); ARHI (CLAS) 3001 Ancient Art and Architecture; ARHI (CLAS) 3002 Greek Art and Architecture; ARHI (CLAS) 3004 Roman Art and Architecture; ARHI 4000/6000 (CLAS) Hellenistic Greek Art; ARHI (CLAS) 4002/6002 Greek and Roman Painting; ARHI (CLAS) 4004/6004 The Roman Villa; ARHI (CLAS) 4006/6006 Color in Ancient Art; ARHI (CLAS) 4008/6008 Ancient Roman Sculpture; ARHI 4900/6900 Topics in Ancient Art; ARHI 8700 Seminar in Ancient Art