Anna E. Dobbins

Anna E. Dobbins is a doctoral candidate studying modern and contemporary art with Dr. Rachel Silveri. Her current research examines constructions of gender, sexuality, and eroticism in twentieth century art, with an emphasis on women artists working in and around Surrealism. Her dissertation, tentatively titled “Women Surrealists and the Marquis de Sade: Feminism, Sexuality, and Transgression in the Post-War Era” investigates how women Surrealists in the post-war era turned to the Marquis de Sade as a liberating figure. Her research has been supported by the Yale LGBT Studies Research Fellowship, the Grinter Fellowship, the Rothman Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities, the Charles T. Woods Grant, and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Gainesville Branch Grant. Prior to starting her PhD, Anna received her BA in French and Art History from Auburn University and her MA in Art History from Georgia State University which culminated in her thesis project “The Elles Series: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Unusual Approach to Prostitution.” Anna has presented her research at SECAC (2017), the GSU Art History Graduate Forum Symposium (2018), Feminist inter/Modernist Association (2024), Workshopping Future Directions in Impressionism (2024, 2025), and the Nineteenth-Century Studies Association (2025). For the past seven years Anna has taught Art History and Art Appreciation at numerous universities in north Alabama.