The CNA Fellowship program supports and nurtures future generations of scholars and specialists in Netherlandish Art. Through mentorship and access to the MFA’s rich collections, resources, and research facilities, fellows jointly further their professional development and are part of an active learning community. The CNA seeks to build a global cohort of fellows and foster meaningful connections to enhance the field of Netherlandish Art as a whole.

CNA fellowships provide opportunities for talented individuals at different stages of their careers—from recent MA graduates to emerging scholars at the postdoctoral level—to conduct independent research connected to the MFA’s collection of Netherlandish art. This may include preparation for submission of a PhD proposal, dissertation research and writing, and preparing a publication, among other research activities. To encourage creative thinking and new scholarship, the program is open to individuals in all professional and academic fields. The CNA acknowledges the continued need to make the field of Netherlandish Art more inclusive and equitable, and seeks to foster professionals of all identities and nationalities representing a range of backgrounds, prior experiences, and research priorities. Fellows are drawn from a highly competitive international application pool and receive a workspace in the CNA Library. Compensation includes a salary and travel allowance, as well as a generous benefits package.

Fellows are fully incorporated into the work of the MFA and may consult on projects related to their research. They also share their research through the CNA’s and MFA’s public programs and online platforms to benefit a range of audiences.

2023–24 CNA Research Fellows

Kirsten Derks, Flanders State of the Art Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Kirsten recently obtained her PhD at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and University of Antwerp, where she conducted technical art historical research on 17th-century Flemish painting with a focus on MA-XRF analysis. As the Flanders State of the Art Fellow at the CNA, she continues her research into Michaelina Wautier’s The Five Senses and works by Wautier’s contemporaries in the MFA’s collection.

Lotte Kokkedee, Predoctoral Research Fellow

At the CNA, Lotte has been developing a PhD proposal, after completing her MA at the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her MA thesis focused on the influence of theater on Frans Hals’s genre paintings. As the cohort’s predoctoral candidate, she conducts research on the imagery and reality of “madness” within the sociocultural context of 17th-century Haarlem.

Victor Tiribás, Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Originally from Brazil, Victor received his PhD in Literature, Arts, and History from Italy's Scuola Normale Superiore in 2022. As a CNA Fellow, he is completing his forthcoming book on Rembrandt’s partnership with Rabbi Menasseh ben Israel to illustrate the messianic treatise Glorious Stone (1655).

Hans Brenninkmeyer Visiting Senior Fellowship

Introduced in 2024, the Hans Brenninkmeyer Visiting Senior fellowship invites established scholars to participate in a short-term residence at the Center for Netherlandish Art, where they can conduct independent research and contribute to the vibrant intellectual life of the Center through activities such as lectures, workshops, and panel discussions. The fellowship creates an opportunity for participants to nurture outstanding research, work with MFA collections, and connect with MFA staff and members of the CNA community.

Erma Hermens

The inaugural Hans Brenninkmeyer Visiting Senior Fellow, Professor Erma Hermens, is director of the Hamilton Kerr Institute for Easel Painting Conservation and deputy director of Conservation and Heritage Science at Cambridge University’s Fitzwilliam Museum. She brings together research teams comprising technical art historians, conservators, and scientists together to work closely with curators as well as faculty from other Cambridge University departments and museums. From 2016 to 2022 Hermens held the Rijksmuseum Chair for Studio Practice and Technical Art History at the University of Amsterdam, and was a Rijksmuseum senior researcher. Before that, she was associate professor at the University of Glasgow, where she led the Technical Art History group in the Centre for Textile Conservation and Technical Art History, and established the first European MA in Technical Art History. Hermans is a founder and and coeditor in chief of ArtMatters: International Journal for Technical Art History. Although she specializes in 16th- and 17th-century Netherlandish and Italian painting, she has worked on materials and studio practice from other periods and disciplines and has over 25 years of experience, publishing and lecturing in the interdisciplinary field of technical art history.