Professor at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York specializing in
Italian Renaissance art and culture. She earned her Ph.D. in 1965 from
Harvard. Her honors include being named International Woman of the Year
and the NYU Golden Dozen Award for Distinguished Teaching, both in
1993. Brandt is famous for having identified a marble statue of Cupid,
known sometimes as the "Manhattan Cupid" -- which in 1996 she saw in
the lobby of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York --
as having been sculpted by Michelangelo himself. The identification has
not been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt, but the art world
generally supports Professor Brandt's conclusion. This marble statue of
Cupid is also known as the "Michelangelo of Manhattan," his only statue
in the United States.
