Nubia Nurain Khan

MA Art History

“I want to explore and shed light on the art world’s untapped areas from different perspectives as an art historian one day,” said Nubia Nurain Khan.

Nubia came to LSU from Bangladesh to pursue a master’s in art history and a minor in mass communication. She is researching the manner of the art market’s portrayal in the mainstream media from 1980 to 2020.

“The art market plays an essential role in the world economy,” she explained. In 2018, the global art market was valued at USD 67 billion. According to Barden Prisant, today’s art market is “beating the stock market and mass media plays a significant role in connecting people and information, which is as vital for the art market as it is for the stock market.”

“The art market is often portrayed in the mainstream media in a typical manner that does not give the audience a proper view,” she said. “On top of that, media often creates misconceptions about the art market. My research would focus on the limitations and bias of mainstream media’s depiction of the art market so that in the future, mainstream media could present a proper depiction of the art market to the world.”

Nubia is interested in diverse extra curricular activities at LSU. “Coming from a third-world country, I do not want to miss one single window in this land of opportunity!”

She is the program committee chair of the LSU International Student Association, and is also one of the founding members and creative director of The Speaker’s Forum. “As my position in both organizations has a connection with creativity and communication, I often look at it as part of my research.”

The larger implications of Nubia’s research are vast: although the art market is a vital part of our society and economy, it is still almost an untapped research area, she said. “The art market’s portrayal in the mainstream media is capable of impacting the audience profoundly. Exploring this aspect would lead us to the solution to convey the real picture of the art market. Thus the art market would come down from the instinctively created misperception of being the elitist market, and it will end up incorporating more people into the circuit. The incorporation of mass people into the art market is capable of contributing to the world economy quintessentially.”

As a master’s student of art history at LSU, Nubia has had the opportunity to work with professor of art history Darius Spieth, who authored Revolutionary Paris and the Market for Netherlandish Art. She has also gained experience working as a teaching assistant. “It introduces me to real challenges and trains me to balance diverse tasks.”

Nubia chose LSU for the resources and faculty. “My time here at LSU has exceeded expectations because it has lived up to its academic reputation and more,” she shared. “Furthermore, LSU has a diverse student body which gave me a great networking opportunity to collaborate and we always thrive in a collaborative environment. The amicable attitude of teachers, students and staff only inspired me to be a better person. I believe LSU is a place where I can learn, grow and flourish not only academically but also beyond the scope of a classroom.”