Mary sheriff biography

American art historian

Mary Diana Lee Sheriff (September 19, 1950 – October 19, 2016) was an American art historian, and W.R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Art History at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who specialized in eighteenth-century French art, decorative arts, gender studies, and material culture.^[1]

Career

Sheriff was a leading scholar on 18th- and 19th-century French art and culture, transforming the field by re-evaluating rococo painting, introducing feminist perspectives, and examining European art in a global context.

Her work focused on issues of creativity, sexuality, gender, and travel and culture exchange. Her research included traditional facets of visual culture such as painting and sculpture, while also incorporating gardens, book illustration, material culture, performance, and the graphic arts.^[2]

Her scholarly achievements were recognized through numerous visiting professorships, invitati