Ruth Barnes (born 1947) is an

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 ...

in the field of South and Southeast Asian textiles. She served as textile curator of the

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University ...

in Oxford before taking up her current position as Curator of Indo-Pacific Art at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. She is a fellow of the

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society, was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encourag ...

Biography

Ruth Barnes received her degree from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, and her doctorate from the

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 ...

. She worked as a research assistant alongside Hélène la Rue, Curator of Musical Instruments at the

Pitt Rivers Museum Pitt Rivers Museum is a museum displaying the archaeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford in England. The museum is located to the east of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and can only be accessed ...

, before moving on as a collections researcher to the Ashmolean and the

Museum der Weltkulturen The Museum of World Cultures () is an ethnological museum in Frankfurt, Germany. Until 2001 it was called the Museum of Ethnology (''Museum für Völkerkunde''). It is part of Frankfurt's Museumsufer (Museum Riverbank). History It was found ...

in Frankfurt. She has been at the forefront of numerous galleries and exhibitions on Asian and Islamic textiles, early Indian Ocean trade, and pilgrimage during her time at the

. At

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

, Dr Barnes will head the newly created Department of Indo-Pacific Art at the University Art Gallery. In addition to her curatorial background, Barnes has also lectured in the faculties of Oriental Studies and Anthropology at the

and

SOAS The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

in London.Dr Ruth Barnes, Academic profile
Faculty of Oriental Studies. She is also an accomplished academic, having published and edited numerous books and journal articles on textiles and Asian dress as well as acting on the editorial board of several textile publication journals. Her research interests focus on the social history of material culture, with a focus on Indian Ocean trade during the pre-European and early European periods.

Bibliography

''Select bibliography'' *2010 (Barnes, Ruth and Mary H. Kahlenberg, eds.) ''Five Centuries of Indonesian Textiles. The Mary Hunt Kahlenberg Collection''. Munich, New York: Prestel. *2009 (Kerlogue, Fiona and Barnes, Ruth, eds.) Southeast Asian collections in European museums. ''Indonesia and the Malay World'' Vol. 37: No. 108. *2006 (Barnes, Ruth and Crispin Branfoot) ''Pilgrimage. The Sacred Journey''. Oxford: Ashmolean Museum. *2005 (Barnes, Ruth, ed.) ''Textiles in Indian Ocean Societies''. London: RoutledgeCurzon. *2002 (Parkin, David and Ruth Barnes, eds.) ''Ships and the Development of Maritime Technology in the Indian Ocean''. London: RoutledgeCurzon. *1992 (Barnes, Ruth and Joanne Eicher, eds.) ''Dress and Gender: Making and Meaning in Cultural Contexts''. New York and Oxford: Berg.

References

British art historians People associated with the Ashmolean Museum Alumni of St Cross College, Oxford Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 1956 births Living people Women art historians British women historians British women curators Textile historians Historians of Indian art {{UK-historian-stub