Two Recent Books
The History of Western Art, Art Essentials series, Thames & Hudson, London , 2023 (176 pages, 117 illustrations).

How to Understand Art, Art Essentials series, Thames & Hudson, London, 2021 (176 pages, 101 illustrations).

Book Forthcoming
What Makes Great Art?  Abeville Press, NY September 2026

Upcoming Lecture Series:
♦ Roundtable for 92NY, New York, NY
French Fortresses and Fantasies: The Châteaux of the Loire River Valley, four Fridays, March 6, 13, 20, 27, 2026, noon-1:00 pm ET, on Zoom
Click for detail

Smithsonian Associates, Washington, DC

Masterpieces of the Middle Ages, Part Two: Gothic Grandeur, Smithsonian Associates, four lectures on two Saturdays, April 11 and 18, 2026, 1:00-3:30 pm ET, on Zoom.
Walls of unprecedented height with huge windows in the Gothic era, made possible by the structural innovations of ribbed vaults, pointed arches, and flying buttresses. Windows of glittering stained-glass depicted instructional stories, simultaneously embellishing interiors with patterns of flickering colored light. Beginning in the mid-12th century, focusing especially in France, the Gothic style came to dominate western Europe. Now sculpted and painted figures seemed capable of coming to life, even conveying human emotions. Dr. Benton’s thoroughly illustrated lectures reveal the unrivalled richness and refinement of the architecture, sculpture, painting, and decorative arts of the Gothic era. She is the author of Art of the Middle Ages, published by Thames & Hudson in the acclaimed World of Art series; Holy Terrors: Gargoyles on Medieval Buildings, published by Abbeville Press; and other books and articles about medieval art.
1.The birth of Gothic at the royal abbey of S-Denis with the energetic (and egocentric) Abbot Sugar. Striving for height begins: Laon Cathedral; Notre-Dame-de-Paris.
2. First Gothic masterpiece: Chartres Cathedral’s splendid structure and sparkling stained glass windows. Reach for the Sky: Cathedrals of Reims and Bourges.
3. Climax of Gothic, soaring and sophisticated: Cathedrals of Amiens; Beauvais. Ultra refinement and collapse: Ste-Chapelle in Paris, glass cage. Flamboyant fantasies at S-Maclou in Rouen.
4. Gothic ideas spread from France to England, Germany, Italy, and far beyond, remaining the most significant artistic style in western Europe for several centuries Link to Smithsonian website

Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933),
7:00-8:15 pm EST, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, on Zoom

In Louis Comfort Tiffany’s several studios, vividly colored stained-glass windows and functional home furnishings--especially lamps and vases--became coveted Fine Art. As Tiffany explained, he was always in “pursuit of beauty.” Distinguished Professor of Art History, Janetta Rebold Benton, Ph.D., herself a collector of Tiffany lamps, discusses Tiffany’s life, businesses, and family, including his relationship with his father, the famous jeweler Charles Lewis Tiffany.

Link to Smithsonian website

Roundtable for 92NY, New York, NY

French Fortresses and Fantasies: The Châteaux of the Loire River Valley, Roundtable for 92NY, four Fridays, March 6, 13, 20, 27, 2026, noon-1:00 pm ET, on Zoom
From forbidding fortresses to charming castles, the splendid structures of the Loire Valley reflect lives of intrigue and opulence. Medieval strongholds built for defense with moats and towers gradually gave way to spectacular Renaissance pleasure palaces. Sumptuous elegance, rather than physical comfort, was the primary design principle of the châteaux which were surrounded by reflecting pools and perfectly manicured gardens.
1.The Days of Knights. Return to the Middle Ages at the Château of Saumur, depicted in the manuscript Les Très Riches Heures of the Duke of Berry; Sully-sur-Loire, a prison for Joan of Arc; Langeais, a medieval stronghold that became a Renaissance château; and Châteaudun, built over three centuries.
2. Country Life and Court Life. Visit little rural La Devinière, home of Rabelais; the Clos¬-Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci’s last home; Azay-le-Rideau, built on an island in the Indre River; and the Château Royal de Blois, a unique example of the development of French architecture from the 13th through the 17th centuries.
3. Luxury and Liaisons along the Loire. Tour Chambord, with a miniature village on its roof and a double spiral staircase; Chenonceau, the “château of the ladies,” Henry II’s gift to his mistress Diane de Poitiers; Chaumont, Diane’s home after Henry’s widow, Catherine de Medici, forced Diane to trade palaces.
4. Renaissance Gardens. Examine the history, plans, plantings, and symbolism of gardens in the Loire Valley at the châteaux of Réaux, Langeais, Clos-Lucé in Amboise, Chenonceau, and especially the grand and glorious gardens of the château of Villandry.

Link to Roundtable website

Alexander Calder (1898-1976) Invents the Mobile and the Stabile, Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 7:00 pm ET, on Zoom
Witty, clever, and extraordinarily inventive, Calder revolutionized sculpture by introducing movement, thereby leaving behind centuries of traditionally static sculpture. Further breaking with the past, rather than standing on the ground, his perfectly balanced kinetic sculptures hung from the ceiling and moved with the slightest air current. An American, he lived a significant portion of his life in France. His Cirque Calder, which he presented in French and English, features many ingenious movable little performers.

Link to Roundtable website

Smithsonian Journeys, Washington, DC

I will serve as the Smithsonian Expert Lecturer on the following trips:

♦Normandy: A One-Week Stay in France, August 22-30, 2026
Settle into Honfleur’s Old Harbor, once a favorite of the impressionists, and spend a week immersed in the rich history and culture of Normandy. Retrace the events of World War II from Le Havre and Caen to Omaha Beach, and visit the poignant Normandy American Cemetery. Explore the fortified abbey Mont-Saint-Michel, stroll the chalk cliffs of Étretat—immortalized by Claude Monet, and sample regional delicacies from calvados to Camembert.Link to Smithsonian Journeys website

Lectures in China
American Embassy, Beijing, Art and Environment in America, public lecture with translators, April 20, 2022, online.

American Embassy, Beijing, Public Art in America, public lecture with translators, May 13, 2021, online.

Hangzhou: China Academy of Art, public lectures with translators: 1) Animals in the Art of the Middle Ages, 2) Holy Terrors: Gargoyles on Medieval Buildings, 2018.

Beijing: Tsinghua University, Broadcast of my lecture on Andy Warhol, watched by more than 3,600 people, 讲座回顾 | “波普教皇”安迪·沃霍尔的一生, 2018.
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/h-2bsou72YW26O85biwNtQ

Shanghai: Shanghai University, Winslow Homer; American Consulate, Winslow Homer, 2018.

Nanjing: Nanjing University, 1) Georgia O’Keeffe, 2) Andy Warhol, 2018.

Conference Papers
Invited keynote speaker, “Extreme Architecture around the World,” Fulbright Annual Symposium, Yale University, New Haven, December 3, 2023.

Invited plenary speaker, "Medieval Mischief: Wit and Humor in the Art of the Middle Ages," International Society of Humor Studies Conference, University of Texas - Austin, June 26, 2019.