Frederick Asher is a specialist in South Asian art. His current research considers the architecture of contested religious space and the issue of copying/originality in Indian art. Recent scholarship has focused on contested religious space, issues related to art as commodity, particularly looking at patterns of trade as they relate to works of art in India, and the site of Bodh Gaya. He also has examined present-day artists working in traditional modes both because they are interesting in themselves and because they offer models for pre-modern modes of artistic production; they further offer the opportunity to think about the role of the artist in art history that has focused primarily on the product. He has completed a term as Editor-in-Chief of caa.reviews, the electronic journal of the College Art Association, and a term as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Institute of Indian Studies. He is currently President of the National Committee for the History of Art, and South Asia editor for Archives of Asian Art.