Dr Sophie Oosterwijk

Dr Sophie Oosterwijk was born in Gouda and studied English at Leiden and Medieval Studies at York before obtaining two doctorates in Art History (Leicester) and English Literature (Leiden). She is a recognised specialist in Early Netherlandish, Flemish and Dutch art and previously taught Art History at the Universities of Leicester, Manchester and St Andrews before returning to the Netherlands to take up a research post at Utrecht University. 

Sophie is currently a freelance researcher and a regular guest lecturer for the University of Cambridge, NADFAS (now The Arts Society), and other organisations. She is also co-editor of the international journal Church Monuments published annually by The Church Monuments Society, and she has published widely, especially on death, the danse macabre and commemorative art. Her publications include the co-edited volumes Monumental Industry. The Production of Tomb Sculpture in England and Wales in the Long Fourteenth Century (2010) and Mixed Metaphors. The Danse Macabre in Medieval and Early Modern Europe (2011). Sophie is a lively and entertaining speaker who specialises in discussing art in its historical and cultural context.