Her research interests include turn-of-the-(20th) century European art, especially in Scandinavia, and mid-century modern American painting and photography. She is particularly interested in national identity formation, issues of gender and sexuality, and in the problems of public space. Her books include studies of the artists Edvard Munch and James Ensor, and of Danish painting in the nineteenth century.
She teaches at all levels of the Wellesley College curriculum, including in foundation courses. Her teaching includes surveys of modern art, contemporary art, and the history of photography, and upper-level seminars, including propaganda and persuasion, the Bauhaus, Nationalisms and Modern Art, Installation Art, and The Body in Modernity. The Davis Museum is a critical part of her teaching—it is available as a remarkable laboratory and resource. One of her favorite courses has been "Cold War Modern," co-taught with Martin Brody in the Music Department, a study of New York music, art, and design in light of post-war politics and consumerism. From 2010-2015, she held a faculty position at the University of Oslo (Norway), where she continues to be part of a research project entitled "Edvard Munch, Modernism, and Modernity."
