This event celebrates the publication of Jessica Barker and Ed Krčma’s new book, Living by the Rule: Contemporary Art meets the Medieval Monastery (Lund Humphries, 2026), published to coincide with a major exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich (May-Oct 2026).
Living by the Rule vividly stages an encounter between medieval and contemporary art with many unexpected resonances sounding between recent works and much earlier objects and texts. Taking as their focus the Rule of St Benedict, a book written in the sixth century which provided monks with a framework for communal living, Barker and Krčma explore the rich material culture of religious communities of the Middle Ages. This throws up unexpected connections with contemporary art, and a reciprocity emerges, shifting our perspectives on both medieval and contemporary ways of life. Can anachronism release us from the deadening familiarity of the present, and open up new ways of thinking about the future? This bold publication makes a compelling case for looking beyond the chronological tracing of art history.
This panel discussion, featuring Barker and Krčma in conversation with Dr Caroline Levitt, Professors Nancy Thebaut, and Michael Newman, who will illuminate some of the book’s key themes.
The exhibition Living by the Rule: Contemporary meets Medieval is presented at the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, between the 16 May – 4 October, 2026.
This event is organised as part of the as part of the Medieval Work-in-Progress Series. The series is generously supported by Sam Fogg. This publication was generously supported by the Wyvern Research Institute.
Speakers:
Jessica Barker, Senior Lecture in Medieval Art, Courtauld.
Ed Krčma, Associate Professor of Art History, University of East Anglia.
Caroline Levitt, Senior Lecturer in Art History, Courtauld.
Michael Newman, Professor of Art Writing, Goldsmiths.
Nancy Thebaut, Associate Professor in the History of Art, University of Oxford.
