Sophie Kelly

I am a Lecturer in History of Art, specialising in medieval visual and material culture. I am particularly interested in the relationship between visual culture and medieval religion, from the role of images in the performance of the liturgy to meaning of theological diagrams and the function of material culture in devotional practice. My doctoral research focused on medieval representations of the Trinity, but I have published on a range of topics, including the material legacy of Edward, the 'Black Prince' and illuminated manuscripts.

I received my PhD in art history from the University of Kent in 2018 and was awarded a Paul Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2019. Prior to my current role, I was the Project Curator on the major, five-star exhibition Thomas Becket: Murder and the Making of a Saint at the British Museum (2021). I have also held curatorial roles at the Royal Collection Trust, where I worked on the exhibitions George IV: Art and Spectacle (2019) and Russia, Royalty and the Romanovs (2018), and Canterbury Cathedral on the exhibition Making History: Church, State and Conflict (supported by the National Lottery Fund).