Biography
Francesca Borgo received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Art History with a minor field in Italian Studies from听Harvard University in 2017. She previously studied in Italy and听Spain听and holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Ca鈥� Foscari University of Venice.听Prior to coming to St听Andrews,听Francesca was a Fellow at the听Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles (2017-18), the听Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz听 (2013-17), Villa I Tatti - The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies (2015), and the University of Hamburg (2016). Her work has been supported by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the Max-Planck Gesellschaft, the听Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the听Renaissance Society of America,听the Italian Art Society,听and听the National Endowment for the Humanities, among others.
Research areas
Francesca Borgo specializes in early modern art, with a focus on fifteenth- and sixteenth-century southern Europe. Much of her research investigates the intersections between visual, literary, and scientific culture in Renaissance Italy.听Her current book project听explores the emergence of an art critical discourse surrounding the representation of war during the Cinquecento. A second project,听The听Fragile Image in the Renaissance,听looks at the early modern perception of vulnerable, decaying and lost artworks. Other research interests include the work of Leonardo da Vinci and the history of the field of Leonardo studies; the relationship between听natural philosophy and artistic theory;听the听shield as an emblem of artistic excellence;听premodern听notions of imagination and invention;听the physiology of perception and听theories of sensory differentiation; antagonistic dynamics in Renaissance culture (among artists, artworks, and media).
PhD supervision
- Alfie听Robinson
Selected publications
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Borgo, F. & Titmarsh, J.-A. (Translator), 6 Mar 2026, Gallerie dell鈥橝ccademia di Venezia. Nicolaci, M. & Pietrabissa, C. (eds.). Venice: Wetlands, p. 64-71 (Ecocritical guides).
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding 鈥� Chapter
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Borgo, F. (Editor) & V谩zquez, J. (Editor), 2026, Rome: Officina Libraria. 320 p. ( Dis/Appearance; vol. 2)
Research output: Book/Report 鈥� Book
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Borgo, F., 2026, Loot & repair听: plunder and restitution between the early modern battlefield and the modern-day museum. Borgo, F. & V谩zquez, J. (eds.). Rome: Officina Libraria, (Dis/Appearance; vol. 2).
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding 鈥� Chapter
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Borgo, F., 6 Mar 2026, Gallerie dell' Accademia di Venezia. Nicolaci, M. & Pietrabissa, C. (eds.). Venice: Wetlands, p. 64-71 (Guide ecocritiche).
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding 鈥� Chapter
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Beltramini, G. (Editor), Borgo, F. (Editor) & Manieri Elia, G. (Editor), 1 Apr 2025, Venice: Marsilio Arte. 319 p.
Research output: Book/Report 鈥� Book
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Open access
Borgo, F., 2025, Corpi moderni: La costruzione del corpo nella Venezia del Rinascimento.. Venice: Marsilio Arte, p. 54-63 9 p.
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding 鈥� Chapter
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Borgo, F. & Ezra, R., 1 Apr 2025, Wastework: early modern stories from the cutting room floor. Borgo, F. & Ezra, R. (eds.). Rome: Officina Libraria, p. 7-39 (Dis/appearance; vol. 1).
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding 鈥� Chapter
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Borgo, F. (Editor) & Ezra, R. (Editor), 1 Apr 2025, Rome: Officina Libraria. 246 p. (Dis/appearance; vol. 1)
Research output: Book/Report 鈥� Book
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Borgo, F. & Ezra, R., 1 Mar 2024, In: West 86th: A Journal of Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture. 31, 1, p. 5-25 21 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal 鈥� Article 鈥� peer-review
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Open access
Borgo, F., 1 Jan 2023, Leonardo da Vinci: l'architettura. Di Teodoro, F. P., Ferretti, E., Frommel, S. & Schlimme, H. (eds.). Rome: Campisano Editore, p. 211-224 14 p. (Itine虂raires; vol. 6).
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding 鈥� Chapter
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