Villa I Tatti – The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies in Florence, Italy, and the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, Spain, offer a joint residential fellowship for the 2025-2026 academic year. Fellows will spend the fall term (mid-September to mid–December 2025) in Madrid, supported by the American Friends of the Prado Museum and the spring term (January to June 2026) in Florence. The fellowship is designed for early and mid-career scholars in the field of art history, with preference given to advanced research projects that address the relationship between Spain and Italy (including transnational connections and dialogues with Latin America) during the Renaissance, broadly understood historically to include the period from the 14th to the 17th century.
Eligibility
At the time of application, scholars must have a PhD in hand and will be asked to upload a scan of the certificate. They may not be working on a second PhD at the time of application. Applicants must be conversant in English and Spanish and have at least a reading knowledge of Italian, with a solid background in Italian and/or Spanish and Latin American studies. Each successful candidate must be approved by both the Museo Nacional del Prado and Villa I Tatti and will spend the fall term (mid-September to mid-December) at the Museo del Prado in Madrid supported by the American Friends of the Prado Museum and the spring term (January-June) at Villa I Tatti in Florence. During both terms, it must be possible for Fellows to carry out most of their research with the resources available in the city where they are resident. Priority will be given to applicants with no previous association with either I Tatti or the Museo del Prado. Renewals, repeats, or deferments of this Fellowship are not granted. The Fellow will be expected to carry out original research on the topic for which they have been awarded their Fellowship. The proposed research project may represent a segment of a larger project.
Terms and details relating to Villa I Tatti
- Fellows will spend the Spring Term, January – June 2026, at I Tatti.
- Fellows may not take on any other obligations such as teaching positions, even part-time ones, during any part of their fellowship period.
- The Fellowship may not be held concurrently with another fellowship or award.
- This is a residential fellowship. Fellows must live in the Florence area, spend at least three days a week at I Tatti, and participate in and contribute to the activities at the Center.
- Fellows enjoy all the privileges of I Tatti, including use of the Biblioteca Berenson seven days a week and lunch with other Appointees from Monday through Friday.
- Fellows are offered a reserved desk or carrel in the Biblioteca Berenson.
- Fellows will receive a monthly sum of USD 5,200, plus a one-time supplement (maximum USD 1,800) towards relocation expenses. When possible, an apartment will be set aside for the Fellow’s use, rent free, but with charges for utilities. If an apartment is not available, a housing subsidy will be offered to help offset rental costs.
- The Fellow is responsible for obtaining a visa, permesso di soggiorno, and health coverage (and, if appropriate, for accompanying family members). The Fellow must determine if a visa is required and, if necessary, obtain one before travel.
Terms and details relating to the Museo del Prado
- Fellows will spend the fall term, 15 September – 15 December 2025, at the Museo Nacional del Prado.
- Fellows are required to spend their research period in Madrid except for research-related trips, and to participate in and contribute to the activities of Study Center of the Museo del Prado.
- The Fellowship may not be held concurrently with another fellowship or award.
- The Fellow is responsible for obtaining a Liability Insurance Policy and an Accident and Health Insurance Policy.
- The Fellow must determine if a visa is required and, if necessary, obtain one before travel.
- Fellows are given a space to work within the Study Center and are allocated an Academic Supervisor for the duration of their stay.
- Fellows enjoy the use of the Museo Nacional del Prado Library, Archive, and Collections.
- Fellows will receive a monthly sum of USD 5,000, supported by the American Friends of the Prado Museum.
Application
Applications must be written in English and must be submitted electronically by midnight (Cambridge, MA time) on November 15, 2024. Scholars can apply to only one type of fellowship at I Tatti per academic year.
Letters of Recommendation
Applicants must have two scholars who know their work well submit recommendations online by November 20, 2024. These recommendations must be written in English. In order to give your referees adequate time to submit letters of recommendation, click the reference tab and register them as early as possible. Referees will receive an email explaining how to access the system and submit their letters electronically. It is the applicants’ responsibility to inform the scholars writing on their behalf of the nature of the project and the deadline for submission.
About
Villa I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies is a center for the study of early modern culture with a focus on Italy, defined historically as the period ranging from the 14th to the 17th centuries and geographically to include transnational dialogues between Italy and other cultures (e.g. Latin American, Mediterranean, African, Asian, etc.). The historic villa contains a unique collection of Renaissance and Asian art, and also houses the Biblioteca Berenson, one of the over seventy libraries that make up the Harvard Library system. In addition to its holdings of nearly 185,000 volumes, an extensive and historically important photograph collection and archive, and the Morrill Music Library, the Biblioteca Berenson also provides access to a vast range of online journals and other electronic resources, offering Fellows comprehensive interdisciplinary resources for the study of late medieval and early modern Italy. The most important goals of I Tatti are to advance the understanding of the Italian Renaissance, to encourage the fruitful interchange of ideas, and to create an atmosphere conducive to research and writing. I Tatti offers Fellows the precious time they need to pursue their studies with a minimum of obligations and interruptions together with a maximum of scholarly resources. Subjects covered include art and architecture, history, literature, material culture, music and performance, philosophy, religion, and science.
The Museo Nacional del Prado holds a unique collection closely linked to the history of Spain. The museum opened to the public in 1819 with the Royal Collection as its foundation, and has been gradually enriched with paintings from the Museo de la Trinidad and works of art incorporated through bequests, donations and purchases. Today, the Museo Nacional del Prado boasts a collection of more than 8,000 paintings dating from the Middle Ages through the nineteenth century, 900 sculptures from ancient Egypt to the nineteenth century, 9000 drawings and 6000 prints, and an extensive and historically important collection of decorative arts, coins, and medals. In 2009, the Study Center of the Museo Nacional del Prado was founded as a research center to foster and disseminate the study of art history and the Prado’s collections. Located at the Casón del Buen Retiro, it houses the curatorial departments, the Escuela del Prado, and the Library, Archive, and Documentation Service. The Library’s holdings include more than 70,000 books and manuscripts and 1000 journal titles and auction catalogues of Western art; the Archive contains a wide range of documents related to the history of the museum, and the Documentation Service provides extensive information on the works of art from the museum’s collections. Electronic resources, a music library, the Witt Library, and an important collection of antique books are also available for Fellows to consult in the Reading Room, located in the historic Ballroom of Philip IV’s Palacio del Buen Retiro, beneath the splendid ceiling painted in fresco by Luca Giordano (c. 1697). Together with the seminars and meetings organized by the Escuela del Prado and the interaction with curators, restorers and scholars of the Study Center, Fellows will benefit from direct access to all of the Prado’s exceptional resources and its international and interdisciplinary academic community.