Supporting Research Worldwide: Terra Foundation Fellowships in American Art

The Terra Foundation for American Art supports 48 recipients through its 2020–21 international academic awards and fellowships, including three Terra Foundation fellows in American art at three European museums: Alba Campo Rosillo, Terra Foundation Research Fellow in American Art at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza; Natalie Zelt, Terra Foundation Fellow in American Photography at the Rijksmuseum; and Nikolaus Stolle, Terra Foundation Research Fellow on Native American Art at the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac.

These fellowships help European museums focus on their permanent collections of American art through object-based research and close collaboration among curators and fellows. One of the foundation’s aims is to support the activation of collections outside the US to enrich international and interdisciplinary dialogues on American art from a multitude of perspectives.

These Terra Foundation fellows in American art focus on deep research of permanent collections of US art in European public museums. Individual projects initiate new research and result in a variety of outcomes. Rosillo’s two-year fellowship at the Museo Thyssen will result in a new presentation of the museum’s permanent collection of American art, known especially for its significant holdings of nineteenth-century landscape painting. American Art from the Thyssen Collection (opening in December 2021), will reconsider the museum’s current chronological presentation to focus on a transversal and thematic approach, illustrating a richer understanding of American art and culture for Spanish audiences.

Zelt is conducting research on the Rijksmuseum’s large collection of US photography as part of her larger project exploring how cultural constructs in the US, such as race, have impacted what constitutes “American photography” in public collections in Europe. She will work with Rijksmuseum curators as they prepare a major exhibition devoted to US photography.

Stolle is part of the research team for the CROYAN Project, which is the first major study of the royal collections of North America at the Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac museum. Working in collaboration with Native American and First Nations communities, the program team aims to bring new understanding to the collection through research, preservation, and knowledge dissemination.

Additional annual academic awards and fellowships offered by the foundation include research travel grants for US-based and international scholars, visiting professorships, postdoctoral teaching and research programs, and publication grants, as well as the Terra Summer Residency in Giverny, France.

A complete list of 2020–21 Terra Foundation fellows is included in a searchable database of all current and former fellows at terraamericanart.org/fellows.