Bryan C. Keene

Bio

Bryan C. Keene (he/él/they/elle) is assistant professor of art history at Riverside City College and a former associate curator of manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum. He specializes in codex cultures of a global Middle Ages and fantasy medievalisms.

Stories

  1. Art, Pride, and the Rainbow Flag

    Article

    Rainbow flag against a blue sky

    In celebration of Pride, we draw on Getty’s collections to highlight inclusion and humanity

    Jun 08, 2020

  2. Written in the Stars: Astronomy and Astrology in Medieval Manuscripts

    Article

    A bearded man wearing a white turban and orange cloak lined with blue holds his left hand to his head and a book in his right hand while he peers up at the sky.

    Faith, science, and stargazing influenced everyday decisions in the Middle Ages

    Apr 30, 2019

  3. For the Throne: Medievalists’ Musings on Game of Thrones

    Article

    A composite of details from the images that appear in this post.

    Curators connect medieval art to each episode of the final season of Game of Thrones

    Apr 11, 2019

  4. Reconstructing a Masterpiece of Choir Book Illumination by Niccolò da Bologna

    Article

    A detail of a medieval illumination inside of the letter G. At the center is the Virgin Mary dressed in all white.

    Leaves by the Bolognese artist represent six of the 20 known pages surviving from a Renaissance gradual

    Feb 08, 2018

  5. Enemies All Around—The Medieval/Modern Game of Thrones

    Article

    A crowd of people surround a woman as she faces two boys in shackles kneeling in front of armed guards.

    A new season of art-history recaps begins

    Jun 16, 2017

  6. Coming Out: Queer Erasure and Censorship from the Middle Ages to Modernity

    Article

    Composite image. On left, a detail of a manuscript figure walking through the letter "O". On right, a yellow figure walks through a door to a colorful room. At the bottom it reads National Coming Out

    Taking a queer lens to medieval and Renaissance images reveals the fluidity of gender and sexual identity beyond reductive labels

    Oct 11, 2016

  7. (Re)-Naming a Renaissance Artist

    Article

    Manuscript illustration of Christ in an orange robe wiping tears from a person kneeling before him. There is a crowd behind and an angel descending from the sky.

    A curator describes his research to put a name to an anonymous illuminator of a manuscript page removed centuries ago from a choir book

    Aug 04, 2016

  8. Global Pathways through Medieval Manuscripts and the Modern Museum

    Article

    map of the world with pictures of various manuscripts over it

    A new exhibition of book arts explores worldwide artistic, cultural, and religious connections in the Middle Ages and Renaissance

    Jan 21, 2016

  9. Star Wars and Medieval Manuscripts

    Article

    Image of a black screen with white text that reads "A long time ago, on the pages of illuminated manuscripts made far, far away..."

    What did medieval Europeans think and dream about the planets and stars? A tour with images in manuscripts

    Dec 14, 2015

  10. Deathly Meditations in Medieval Manuscripts

    Article

    Death spares no one—a reminder from illuminated books

    Jun 08, 2015