Kessler, Herbert L., 1941-

Herbert Leon Kessler (born 1941) is an American medieval art historian active in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. Kessler was born in Chicago, Illinois and studied at the University of Chicago (A.B. 1961) and Princeton University (M.F.A. 1963, Ph.D. 1965). He studied under Kurt Weitzmann at Princeton, and collaborated with Weitzmann on a number of projects. Kessler taught at the University of Chicago (1965–1976), and the Johns Hopkins University (1976–2013), and has held numerous fellowships and temporary appointments. Kessler's early work centered on pictorial imagery in the Carolingian Empire, and he has gone on to write many books and articles on different aspects of medieval art history, including medieval image theory and the visual representation of spiritual subjects. Kessler has influenced the field of medieval art history through his prolific publication record and his role as a doctoral advisor. He has trained numerous doctoral students, including many who have become well-known art historians in their own right.