Art history professor Matt Kavaler was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Liège, one of Belgium’s oldest institutions.
Kavaler was recognized for his research and teachings on the juncture between the Middle Ages and modern times, and his contributions to renewing the focus on important categories of northern European art of the sixteenth century, many of which he has introduced to through his photography. He is particularly known for his work exploring the paintings and prints of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, an innovative Flemish Renaissance painter and printmaker known for his sweeping landscapes and peasant scenes.
Credited with having coined the term “Renaissance Gothic,” Kavaler is the author of numerous articles on the rise of secular painting in the Netherlands, the revival of Late Gothic architecture in the early modern period, and several works on Northern European art of the Renaissance.
“This is a wonderful recognition of my scholarship and an acknowledgement that my work is reaching an interested public,” says Kavaler. “It is also gratifying to be reminded that I am in active conversation with colleagues in Europe and that I have contributed to the understanding of Belgian culture. Coming from North America, this is a special honour.”
Kavaler is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Archaeology of Belgium, sits on the board of trustees of the Gardiner Museum in Toronto, and is the Director of the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies.
Founded in 1817 following a decree by Napoleon a decade earlier, the University of Liège is one of Belgium’s oldest and most respected institutions. Previous individuals awarded honorary degrees by the university include Bill Viola, Vaclav Havel and Salman Rushdie.