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UCL History of Art is devastated to announce the death of our colleague Natasha Eaton.
Natasha was Reader in the History of Art, and a foremost scholar of British and Indian art and material culture, with an emphasis on questions of cross-cultural exchange. Having completed her PhD at the University of Warwick, where she had earlier been awarded her BA and MA, Natasha joined UCL as a Lecturer in 2005 following a Freer Postdoctoral Fellowship in Asian and Islamic Art at the University of Michigan and a Simon Fund Fellowship in Social Sciences at the University of Manchester.
Natasha published widely and influentially on British art and South Asian visual culture in many of the leading journals in her field and beyond, including Third Text, where she was an editor. Her remarkable scholarship led to numerous fellowships and awards; among many prestigious accolades, she received a Philip Leverhulme Prize in 2008.
While Natasha’s primary focus was on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, her interests were capacious and wide-ranging, and she also wrote powerfully about recent and contemporary art. Questions of colour, mimesis, postcolonialism, and materiality intrigued her especially and were central to her work. Natasha was the author of three ground-breaking books: Mimesis Across Empires: Artworks and Networks in India, 1765-1860 (Duke University Press, 2013); Colour, Art and Empire: Visual Culture and the Nomadism of Representation (I.B. Tauris, 2013); and Travel, Art and Collecting in South Asia: Vertiginous Exchange (Routledge, 2021).
Natasha was a genuinely brilliant scholar. Her research was historically situated, theoretically agile, political, and imaginative. Playful and deadly serious, poetic and demanding, it was, to take a very Natasha word, “alchemical”. Like her, it was wholly original. Conversations with Natasha were always intellectually thrilling. She was also quite simply the kindest and most generous of scholars, and she loved to share ideas. Natasha brought the same energy, compassion, and openness to the classroom—she loved teaching and was fiercely proud of working at UCL. Natasha touched the lives of so many students, colleagues, and friends, and she changed how we saw the world. Our community mourns her loss and will miss her deeply.
We would like to invite everyone who knew Natasha to use this MS Form to leave a message with memories of her or condolences. These will be shared with her family and posted online at the bottom of this page.
Mental health and wellbeing support is available for anyone in our community affected by this news.
Information about the support available to UCL students can be found on the Support for Bereavement webpage on the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing website.
UCL staff can speak to a professional counsellor or information specialist in confidence by calling 0808 196 5808 - further details are available via the Employee Assistance Programme webpages.
Very sorry to see this news. I interacted with Natasha Eaton briefly while an MA student at UCL, and I still remember her speaking during our core course with so much animated enthusiasm and thoughtful insight. Gabriel Chazan, UW-Madison
Natasha was a fantastic lecturer, an exceptional scholar and an incredibly kind person. It was a privilege to study under her briefly; she always brought whatever subject she was teaching to life, making every lecture and seminar a joy to attend. Her kindness and encouragement were invaluable in shaping me as a scholar. I send my condolences to her family, friends and the entire UCL History of Art Department. Hannah Mills, University of Leeds
Natasha was a supervisor for my MA dissertation. She was always lovely to talk to. Approachable, encouraging and generous. Someone who made you feel welcome and valued. I will always appreciate that. Chris Hill, UCL History of Art Alumni
Natasha played a pivotal role in encouraging my outside-the-box thinking and giving me the courage to pursue my academic research further – primarily on an intellectual but also on a practical level. I owe her great thanks for fuelling my interest in history, philosophy and art of the world throughout the centuries, ultimately inspiring me to become unafraid of finding and following connections that may have seemed less than likely to start with. I got to know her throughout my time in the UCL History of Art department as an MA student and when I started my PhD in the same department a couple of years later. Natasha was an exceptionally brilliant mind, sharing her ideas in conversations whether in the classroom, on the steps of a UCL building, or even lounging on the grass at Gordon Square, always seasoning our conversations with humour and intellect. Thank you! Daen Palma Huse, UCL History of Art
I just found out that Dr. Eaton is no more. I never knew her personally, but her work is one of the sources I am using to study India's Colonial period of art. I am shocked, to say the least. She is the same age as my older son. I am so sorry that a bright woman like her has gone too soon. May her soul rest in peace. Shreedevi Nair Pal, Independent Researcher
Like so many others here, I was shocked to hear about Natasha’s sudden demise. Reading David Bindman’s moving tribute reminds me of the first time I met her—at the Paul Mellon Center when David had just retired, and Natasha had started teaching at UCL. “There are only a handful of us,” she remarked (referring to those of us who had waded into the then woefully marginal field of British colonial art), “we need to stick together.” Natasha was an Original. A wonderful mind and a warm spirit who never failed to wave hello from across the pond, share one of her many spontaneous drawings, enjoy a good chuckle over dinner, and dive into a complex idea. She was unabashedly eccentric—a blithe spirit who seemed to live in a world slightly apart from us all. May she rest in peace. Romita Ray, Syracuse University
I never met you, but your work and the curiosity it embodies made me want to. Peace and light. Annapurna Garimella, ART Trust, Bangalore
I will always deeply value Natasha's generosity and her prods and pushes. She gave me something so valuable: a new perspective on my own work. A rare gift: to be able to see someone else. I hope she knew I saw her too. Also, she (gracefully) forced me to read more Deleuze, good medicine! Her voice will always, always be with me. Rebecca Brown, Johns Hopkins University
Natasha was my personal tutor in the very first year of undergraduate. When unexpected circumstances led to me deferring my studies, she helped me greatly in navigating the system. I still remember climbing all those stairs to her office. She listened and comforted me during this tough time. She was a great listener and a brilliant, dedicated scholar. She will be remembered warmly. May she rest in peace. S A, UCL
I mostly knew Natasha through her extraordinary work, so unlike anyone else, so vital to everyone else, so brilliant, various, nourishing, idea-FULL. And so encouraging of us lesser mortals, field opening by being so field-defining, never a gatekeeper. A profound, ethical thinker. An immeasurable loss… J Edwards, University of York
A gentle, kind, and generous spirit, with a wonderful warmth and sense of humour, rest in peace, dear Natasha. Amna Malik, Independent Scholar
For the past two years, I had the pleasure of meeting Natasha through St. Pancras Old Church, and we quickly became friends; during this time, I found Natasha to be one of the most generous individuals that this globe had ever created. I was extremely devastated and saddened by her recent passing. Robert Brindle, Managing Director
I was deeply saddened to learn of Natasha’s passing; we had just started corresponding about a potential project together, so this was quite a shock. My deepest condolences to Natasha and all of her family and friends. Dorothy Price, The Courtauld Institute of Art
I studied under Natasha's guidance in her Colour: Art, Empire, Modernity module. Always approachable and kind, she would patiently help her students navigate the complexity of the module, ensuring that everyone was equipped to develop their ideas and interests. Despite her expertise, she approached her work with an insatiable curiosity, always eager to explore the perspectives and interests of her students and integrate these into her teaching. Her presence brought a warmth to the department that will be dearly missed. Rest In Peace, Natasha; we will forever carry you in our memory. Anonymous, UCL History of Art Alumni
I'm horrified to hear the news of Natasha's death. She and I went back a long way, some thirty years when we were students in the Art History department at Warwick; she was an undergraduate, and I was doing my PhD. Indeed, she was one of the first people I ever taught when Michael Rosenthal kindly offered me some teaching on a couple of his modules. Even then, she showed an extraordinary intellect, acute critical insight, and voracious curiosity, together with a prodigious appetite for work, all qualities that grew and flourished as her career developed. And always with a smile! Which is how I'll remember her, with that lovely bright smile.
And although our lives went in different directions personally, our close academic and artistic interests meant that we were in regular contact, and we occasionally met up for a drink and some gossip, or latterly, to do some drawing together. One afternoon, we spent drawing in Old St Pancras churchyard, a place she obviously loved that provided a sanctuary for her. While I laboured over a pedestrian black-and-white rendition of the churchyard, Natasha knocked out three or four of her marvellous abstract, psychedelic colour bursts that had no obvious relation to Old St Pancras, except that it offered a space for such creativity. Perhaps even more than her remarkable academic achievements, it is that radiant love of colour that I will associate with Natasha, and it touched everything she did. Geoff Quilley, University of Sussex
Natasha became a friend when I moved to London from Australia. I was finishing my PhD; we shared interests in British art and empire. I admired her enormously and learnt a great deal from her. I found our conversations over many years inspiring and hugely enjoyable. She was always fun, and her sense of humour was wicked (I can hear her laugh now). She touched me deeply. Sarah Thomas, Birkbeck
Natasha was a remarkable person. Her scholarship was rigorous, challenging, complex, and multivalent. In life, she was immensely kind, thoughtful, sparkling, and, above all, original. Martin Postle, Paul Mellon Centre
It's so hard to speak of Natasha in the past tense. What a keen critical intelligence and originality she brought to her research, her teaching and our seminars. We shared a fascination with colour and perception and now her beautiful, observant photos and drawings, which she shared at times of isolation like the pandemic, seem even more precious. They were a gift typical of her - sensitive, overflowing, glittering and kind. Alison Wright, UCL History of Art
Natasha's passing is truly awful news and is a great loss to many in the UCL and the history of art communities. She was warm, interested in other people, funny and engaging in so many ways. She cared deeply about her students, and in her conversation, she painted life in magnificent and vivid colours. I hope she knew how much warmth and happiness she brought to others. Nick Grindle, UCL
I met Natasha at St Pancras Old Church just before the pandemic. A fellow-academic, she struck me by her child-like Christian faith and the vitality she was eager to share with anyone. We have become friends for life, and I keep thinking that Natasha will remain on in everything she touched or perceived around her. She lived in this world joyous and hopeful. Katya Gosteva, University of Reading
Like everybody else who knew Natasha, I am devastated by the news. She was, in effect, my successor in the UCL department, and we shared an interest in images of others from a British perspective. I remember being enormously pleased when she opted to teach a course I had started called Representing Others, though she shifted the focus towards South Asia. She was, as everyone has said, a brilliant and original scholar whose work carved out new fields of study. She was, to use a terrible cliche, right at the cutting edge of her field of study. She was also a lovely person, always friendly, engaged and humorous. I know she was a wonderful teacher, and her life was full of promise that will not be fully realised. What a loss to art history, her department, her students and colleagues, and to the world in general! David Bindman, UCL History of Art Emeritus
Your time at UCL History of Art is a reminder of the joy of research and the value of intellectual curiosity. May you rest in peace. Jennifer Hudson, UCL
I first met Natasha when she came to the History of Art and Archaeology Department at Manchester University, of which I was Head, to discuss our putting her forward for a postdoctoral Simon Research Fellowship. I remember how her huge smile lit up my office. It was rapidly clear we should go for this and Natasha was interviewed by the full Board. These generous Social Sciences Fellowships were open to all departments across the University, and, over the years, they had become something of a preserve of Anthropology, Sociology, History, Theology.... Natasha became a Simon Fellow, a first for the History of Art Department. We were immensely proud of her. Natasha shared an office with Aris Sarafianos and Anna Dezeuze, an exceptionally gifted trio. All three went on to distinguished academic careers in Art History and related areas. Moving to London in 2003, I met up again with Natasha at the UCL Research Seminar where colleagues were kind enough to welcome me. Natasha was such a joyful and insightful person. I shall really miss her. Marcia Pointon, University of Manchester
I was just a neighbour of the lovely Natasha for two years. I can't really talk about her professional career, but I can say that she was a rare, kind and generous friend of mine. She always respected others with her always-smiling posture. I hope we can meet and greet each other somewhere in any kind of form. Rest in peace. Hadi Vafaei, Neighbour
My friend and neighbour, I'll miss your kindness, warmth, smile. Our laughs rest in paradise, lovely. Beverley Gardner, Friend and Neighbour from 26B
Natasha co-led my core course seminar when I was studying for my MA at UCL. I remember her thoughtful and sensitive teaching and particularly her passion for interdisciplinary thinking and anthropology. Coming from a non-History of Art background, I found her lack of disciplinary bias particularly encouraging in a new intellectual environment, which, at times, felt quite alien. Her encouragement extended to her generous essay feedback; she was one of few to really engage with my writing, providing much-needed confidence for me as a writer as well as constructive feedback on my shaky engagement with Foucault. Her comments have stayed with me, many years later. Her warmth and interest in her students meant a great deal to me and I'm sure many others too. Anonymous, UCL History of Art Alumni
I was so sad to hear about Natasha. She was one of my course leaders in my final year, and she was so kind, supportive, clever and insightful. I loved her module and her ways of teaching and thinking. Sending my best wishes to the lovely History of Art department. Helen Butcher, UCL History of Art Alumni
I met Natasha as an undergraduate student at UCL. During that time, Natasha made a great impact on me, not just as my lecturer but also as my personal tutor. I would see her often to have conversations about lots of different things: interests, ideas, future plans, and challenges I was facing. I was an international student and Natasha was a fundamental support to me in this regard. She empowered me to claim my place in academia early on. I wonder whether I would be in the position I am now without her trust and kindness. I will continue to think of you often. Erika Teichert, University of Bristol
Natasha was an exceptional scholar and such a warm and generous human being. Her work on the art history of India is invaluable. She was always friendly and approachable when I troubled her with requests and solicited information from her. All of us at UCL will miss her terribly. Phiroze Vasunia, UCL Greek & Latin
Natasha was my PhD supervisor and my friend. To say that she was generous in the support that she gave me does not come near to it. Leaving a conversation with Natasha was invariably to feel intellectually enlivened, emboldened, better. That generosity shines in her brilliant books and articles. Fortunately, for me there is also an extensive correspondence to read, including the comments that she made on my own writing, which I sent to her regularly over the course of many years. The impact of her extraordinarily sharp mind on my significantly blunter has been transformative, allowing me to imagine things that before seemed to be worlds apart as now close neighbours. Among the many other gifts she gave to me and to other friends were images of her wonderful drawings, as well as pictures of other scenes. One of my favourites, which she sent out during lockdown, was called 'Our City of God', a view from her balcony in Camden with the sunlight bouncing golden off the face of a tower block, accompanied by the simple and characteristically kind injunction: 'be well'. Ben Pollitt, UCL History of Art
Natasha was such a sweet and generous person. Zehra Jumabhoy, University of Bristol
Natasha was a brilliant scholar whose work resonated far beyond History of Art. I've used her articles for years to teach students not just about the cultural politics of colonial art but about how to use concepts to shape and deepen historical analysis. She will be much missed on Gordon Square, but warmly remembered each time I teach with her work in future. Margot Finn, UCL History
Rest in Power Natasha, dear beautiful soul! Iris Moon, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Pearlescence is the word that comes immediately to mind when I think about Natasha and her work. An ability to shine with many colours seems so appropriate when trying to make sense of the many contributions of such a brilliant scholar and friend. Natasha and her work shone brightly. Her writing and thought process was always complex, but, somehow, she always delivered us with a pearl — that treasure of knowledge and the process of searching for it. Her work on British art and South Asia was truly transformational. No one has written about the complexities of these cultural relationships with the verve, the nerve, the poetry that Natasha managed to conjure. She loved poetry and was, I think, really at home when describing the magical, alchemical potential of the work of art and its materials with words that she chose so carefully. She began an article we published in the journal “British Art Studies” with a quote from Pablo Neruda writing about his deceased friend the Sri Lanka photographer Lionel Wendt who described silence “intensified into a stone” where “broken circles are closed” (Pablo Neruda, Piedras del cielo (London: Routledge, 1970), 54.) That intensity feels acute right now, but I know that Natasha’s work and ideas are intensified into the pearls of the books and articles she left with us. Sarah Turner, Paul Mellon Centre
I am so sad to hear of Natasha's death. We were graduate students at the same time and spent time together in the British Library (when it was located by Blackfriars) and then again in Kolkata where we both did our research. As her friend and colleague, I will so miss her kindness and generosity, her willingness to try new experiences, especially living in India, which I know she loved. I was awed by her work, her way of seeing things in new ways. I saw her last for a coffee at the (no longer new) British Library a few years ago, and it was just like we were 25 again. I will miss her deeply. Durba Ghosh, Cornell University
Natasha's scholarship has been defining for the study of the visual culture of the British Empire and South Asia. She will be terribly missed as a colleague and interlocutor. Sending condolences. Yuthika Sharma, Northwestern University
I hadn’t experienced the humanities before I went in for an interview for UCL’s MA programme. I imagined I was about to meet a formal panel of people in rollnecks smoking pipes. Instead I was met by warm Natasha in the basement. She gently probed my understanding of British ‘popular’ and ‘folk’ arts which I had believed offered unmitigated social positives, as the themes were sometimes reproduced uncritically as sources of reference in design education. In several sentences she challenged and then permanently changed (what I now understand to be) epistemics by introducing me to the concept of criticality. By granting access to an academic knowledge-world she permanently changed my life by instilling possibilities afforded by the life of the mind: of detailed philosophy, critical enquiry, linguistics, and Marxism; each forms of generative theoretical play with serious and long-lasting possibilities. I am deeply grateful for the short time spent in her company as a very green student; especially with reference to Heidegger. Lotte Crawford, University of Exeter