Julia Rose Katz, 2025 Anthony M. Clark Rome Prize Fellow featured in American Academy in Rome

Julia Rose Katz is the 2025 Anthony M. Clark Rome Prize Fellow in Renaissance and early modern studies. She is also a PhD candidate in the Department of Art History at Rutgers University. Her research explores how early modern artists and restorers creatively reimagined damaged ancient sculptures, transforming them with new forms and meanings. Like Circe’s mythical magic, these interventions altered antiquities through inventive restorations that reflected contemporary politics, intellectual trends, and patrons’ desires. Through four chapters, the project examines the artistic, cultural, and philosophical dimensions of restoration, revealing how these imaginative acts shaped modern perceptions of the ancient world and resonate with today’s debates on historical preservation and reinterpretation.

You can read the full interview here or click on Julia's portrait by Claudia Gori.