Temple University

Molly Bernhard is a PhD candidate specializing in Renaissance art and the History of Collecting. Her dissertation “Plundering the Peninsula: Conquest and Collecting in Italy during the Early Modern Era (1494-1815), focuses on the History of Collecting through the lens of looting. Molly’s research seeks to reexamining and recontextualizing stolen artwork, their absorption into the cultural fabric of the aggressors, as well as the motives of their new owners, whether political or personal. Her archival research is supported by a 2024 fellowship at Temple University, Rome.  

Bernhard completed her Masters degree in Renaissance and Early Modern Studies from the University of Edinburgh in 2017. She has worked in the curatorial and registrar departments of multiple galleries and museums in Edinburgh and New York City.

MSc, Edinburgh College of Arts, The University of Edinburgh, 2017
BA, SUNY Purchase College, 2015

Advisor: Marcia Hall, PhD