Slavery and the Invention of Dutch Art

A conversation with Caroline Fowler (Clark Art Institute) and Helga Davis

In her new book, Slavery and the Invention of Dutch Art (Duke University Press, 2025), Caroline Fowler examines the fundamental role of the transatlantic slave trade in the production and evolution of seventeenth-century Dutch art. Fowler will engage in conversation with renowned artist and podcaster Helga Davis on the book, thinking about the role of poetics in writing history, the importance of Black feminism in rethinking art history, and the ways in which “Old Master” painting continues to impact how the world is seen and interpreted.

February 13 at 6pm
38 West 86th Street, BGC Lecture Hall