Advanced training in European art history requires direct exposure to the object of study, prolonged access to key information resources such as libraries and photographic archives, the development of professional relationships with colleagues abroad, and sustained immersion in European cultures. These related needs are often best satisfied by extended engagement with a European art research center. The Kress History of Art Institutional Fellowships are intended to provide promising emerging art historians with the opportunity to experience just this kind of immersion.
Beginning 2026, six pre-doctoral Kress Institutional Fellowships in the History of European Art will be awarded every other year. The Kress Foundation is not receiving applications for these fellowships in 2025. Each fellowship provides a two-year research appointment hosted by one of the following European art history research centers:
- Florence Kunsthistorisches Institut / Institute for Art History
- Leiden Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS)
- London Courtauld Institute of Art & Warburg Institute (jointly administered)
- Munich Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte / Central Institute for Art History
- Paris Institut national d’histoire de l’art (INHA) / National Institute for the History of Art
- Rome Bibliotheca Hertziana
The fellowship award is $30,000 per annum. Beginning Fall 2026, the fellowship award will be increased to $45,000 per annum.
For more about the Kress Institutional Fellowships and to apply, access their website at this link.