Shona Kallestrup
Dr. Shona Kallestrup (born 1972) is a Scottish art historian and curator whose work centers on Central and Eastern European art, particularly Romania, and 20th-century Scandinavian design. She is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Art History at the University of St Andrews and an active curator of transnational art exhibitions.
Key facts
- Affiliation: University of St Andrews, School of Art History
- Born: 1972
- Specialization: 19th–20th-century Central/Eastern European art; Scandinavian design
- Education: PhD, University of St Andrews (2001)
- Notable roles: Senior Research Fellow, New Europe College Bucharest (2018–2021)
Academic and research background
Kallestrup’s scholarship investigates art and architecture in Central and Eastern Europe from 1850–1950, focusing on Romania’s national style and cross-cultural artistic exchange. Her doctoral thesis explored eclectic and neo-national aspects in Romanian art and design (1878–1930). She has held teaching or research appointments at Aberdeen, Copenhagen, and Edinburgh universities and contributed to the European Research Council project Art Historiographies in Central and Eastern Europe.
Publications and exhibitions
Her publications include Art and Design in Romania 1866–1927 (2006), the edited volumes Periodization in the Art Historiographies of Central and Eastern Europe (Routledge, 2022) and Nordic Design in Translation (2023), and exhibition catalogues such as Carmen Sylva și Dora Hitz: cuvânt și imagine (2024). She co-curated Dora Hitz: Aus Franken nach Rumänien in die Welt (2025), illuminating women’s artistic networks between Germany and Romania.
Curatorial work and recent projects
Influence and recognition
Combining archival research with exhibition curation, Kallestrup has become a leading voice in reassessing art historiography and women’s patronage in Eastern Europe. Her work promotes cross-cultural understanding and highlights underrepresented artists within European modernism.