Town Hall: Denise Budd – “The Groundbreaking Genius of Leonardo da Vinci”

Art historian and renaissance expert, Denise Budd received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in
2002, and has taught art history courses over the past two decades at institutions such as Rutgers
University and Columbia University, where she was a Lecturer-in-Discipline of its renowned Core
Curriculum. A Leonardo da Vinci scholar and an “archival detective,” she has published articles based
on documentary evidence which serve to de-mythologize and humanize his exceptional genius.
Expert in all things Italian Renaissance, including other great masters such as Michelangelo and
Raphael, Dr. Budd has extended her research into the history of collecting and issues of cultural
preservation. Recognizing that the works of the distant past continue to be a vibrant part of our
lives today, she has served as director of the not-for-profit organization ArtWatch International, which
brings attention to the way we restore and treat our artistic heritage, as in the case of Michelangelo’s
Sistine Chapel Ceiling.
Dr. Budd has appeared on television’s A&E’s Biography speaking about Leonardo, and she lectures
throughout the U.S. and internationally, sharing her passion with art lovers and not-yet art lovers
alike.