Alexander Nagel (PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2010) is Assistant Professor of Ancient Near Eastern and Classical Art in the Department of Art History at State University of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. As an affiliate with the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., Dr. Nagel curated a number of exhibitions and research projects, focusing on the cultures and the legacies of the ancient Mediterranean, Arabia, the Middle East and Central Asia (Smithsonian Institution: Freer|Sackler Gallery; Italian Embassy; New York University, Washington, D.C.). Dr. Nagel is actively involved in the research and publication of materials and sites in Iran (Persepolis, Susa) and Greece. Born and raised in Berlin, Germany, he is interested in the history and development of polychromy studies, the role of surface decorations and paint on monuments at Persepolis, ceramic containers, coroplastic industries and technologies in ancient Greece, Iran and South Arabia, as well as in the reception of ancient Mediterranean, Mesopotamian and Iranian cultures in Northern America. A recipient of many international awards, research grants and fellowships, Dr. Nagel has published articles for the Oxford Handbook of Ancient Iran, and other prestigious publications. His first monograph on the modern history of research on paints and pigments at Persepolis will be published in 2018.
Affiliation as of June 2025: Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York; Research Associate in the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History.
Email: nagela@si.edu , alexander_nagel@fitnyc.edu
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