Fall 2026
M 1:30pm-3:25pm
Instructor: Marisa Bass
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) ranks among the most celebrated printmakers of all time. He was also a painter, a public figure, and the first art theorist of the Northern Renaissance. As he pursued his own major innovations in print media, Dürer was deeply aware of and responded to the advancements in the printing and publishing of books happening around him. This seminar closely examines Dürer’s connections to the world of Renaissance books through firsthand engagement with the collections at Beinecke Library and the Yale University Art Gallery, close reading of primary sources including Dürer’s own writings, and through discussion of broader developments in the history of sixteenth-century printmaking. Students contribute to an upcoming exhibition at the Gallery in fall 2028. No prior knowledge of art history is required for this course.