Janina Sara Maria Ramirez (; ' Maleczek; born 7 July 1980), sometimes credited as Nina Ramirez, is a British

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

, cultural historian, and TV presenter. She specialises in interpreting symbols and examining works of art within their historical context.

Education and academic career

Ramirez went to St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School in

Slough Slough () is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, M40 and M25 motorways. It is part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire. In 2021, the ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

, where she was

head girl The two Senior Prefects, individually called Head Boy (for the male), and Head Girl (for the female) are students who carry leadership roles and are responsible for representing the school's entire student body. Although mostly out of use, in some ...

. She gained a degree in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

, specialising in Old and

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

, from St Anne's College, Oxford, before completing her postgraduate studies at the Centre for Medieval Studies,

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...

. She was awarded a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

on The symbolic life of birds in Anglo-Saxon England, which led to a lectureship in York's Art History Department, followed by lecturing posts at the

University of Winchester The University of Winchester is a public research university based in the city of Winchester, Hampshire, England. The university has origins tracing back to 1840 as a teacher training college, but was established in 2005. Winchester University ...

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

, and

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. Until 2021, Ramirez was the course director on the Certificate in History of Art at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

's Department for Continuing Education. In 2021, Ramirez became Research Fellow in History of Art at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford. In January 2024, Ramirez became a Visiting Professor of Medieval Studies at the

University of Lincoln The University of Lincoln is a public university, public research university in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England, with origins dating back to 1861. It gained university status in 1992 and its present name in 2001. The main campus is in the hea ...

Personal life

Her grandfather was Polish. Ramirez and her Spanish husband have two children. At 14, she played bass in a band with Krissi Murison as lead singer. Ramirez was in a punk band, Role Models, while at Oxford but chose finishing her degree over touring with the band.

Television career

* ''Treasures of the Anglo-Saxons'',

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

, August 2010 * ''The Viking Sagas'', BBC Four, May 2011 * ''Britain's Most Fragile Treasure'', BBC Four, October 2011 * ''Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings'', 3-part series, BBC Four, January 2012 * '' Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Years' War'', 3-part series, BBC Four, February 2013 * ''Architects of the Divine: The First Gothic Age'', BBC Four, October 2014 * ''Saints and Sinners: Britain's Millennium of Monasteries'', 3-part series, BBC Four, February 2015 * ''The Quizeum'', A museum-based quiz panel show, BBC Four, April 2015 * ''The Search for the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich'', BBC Four, July 2016 * ''An Art Lover's Guide'', BBC Four, May 2017 * ''In Search of Arcadia'', BBC Four, August 2017 * ''England's Reformation: Three Books that Changed a Nation'', BBC Four, October 2017 * ''Art on BBC: The Genius of Leonardo Da Vinci'', BBC Four, May 2018 * ''Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez'', BBC Four, September 2019 – 1 The Sutton Hoo Hoard (broadcast 4 September 2019) * ''Handmade in Bolton'' – presenter, featuring Shaun Greenhalgh and narrated by Waldemar Januszczak, BBC Four, October 2019 * ''Lost Worlds and Hidden Treasures'', 3-part series,

Apple TV Apple TV is a digital media player and a microconsole developed and marketed by Apple. It is a small piece of networking hardware that sends received media data such as video and audio to a TV or external display. Its media services include ...

, May 2021

Publications

* * * * * * *

References

External links

*
Janina Ramirez
at United Agents
Janina Ramirez – BBC Blog
*
Dr Janina Ramirez: Art Detective – Laluma Podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramirez, Janina 1980 births Living people 21st-century English historians Women from Dubai English people of Polish descent People educated at St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford Alumni of the University of York Fellows of Harris Manchester College, Oxford Academics of the University of Warwick Academics of the University of Winchester Academics of the University of York Academics of the University of Lincoln English art historians British women art historians British women medievalists English television presenters Fellows of the Royal Historical Society