PhD Candidate; Contemporary Art
she/her/hers
Althea Ruoppo specializes in modern and contemporary art, with a particular interest in assemblage practices that point to globalization’s impact on the progressive interaction and integration among societies and economies since the 1970s. Her dissertation focuses on three German sculptors, Isa Genzken (b. 1948), Reinhard Mucha (b. 1950), and Rosemarie Trockel (b. 1952), and examines their gradual development of a transnational sculptural aesthetic over the last fifty years. Althea holds an M.A. in history of art and architecture from Boston University and a B.A. in art history from Providence College. Prior to returning to BU, she worked in the contemporary art departments of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio. She has held curatorial placements and internships at a wide variety of cultural institutions and museums, including the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture for the City of Boston, Princeton University Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Worcester Art Museum.
Research Interests:
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Sculpture, Assemblage, and Installation Art
- Transnational Exchange and Aesthetics
MA Paper:
“Aesthetic Adaptation and Negotiation: Otto Dix’s Allegorical Paintings in Dialogue with Walter Benjamin”
Dissertation in Progress:
“Places of Assemblage: The Transnational German Sculpture of Isa Genzken, Reinhard Mucha, and Rosemarie Trockel”
2021-2022:
- Senior Editor, SEQUITUR
2020-2021:
- Junior Editor, SEQUITUR.
Travel Grant Coordinator, Graduate Student History of Art & Architecture Association
2019- 2020:
- Social Media Coordinator, Graduate Student History of Art & Architecture Association
2018-2019:
- Forum Coordinator, Graduate Student History of Art & Architecture Association