For those interested in art’s intellectual histories, the archive offers a multitude of possibilities – especially those archives that hold the papers of art historians and critics. While the development of an idea can be traced through drafts, notes and annotations, correspondence allows a wider intellectual context to be mapped. Yet these archives also pose certain problems, raising questions around authorship, authority and authenticity. Given the selective and often partial nature of archive collections, what place should the discoveries they yield be afforded in a wider research project? Moreover, given the move from paper to a digital record, are the same kinds of research journeys still possible with email?

This event will bring together scholars working directly with the archives of art historians and critics to discuss the methodological questions and issues posed by archive-driven intellectual histories. While there is no geographical or historical restriction for the presentations, they should be rooted in a discussion of a particular archive. Presentations on early-stage research projects are encouraged.

This event has been organised in conjunction with the workshop Abiding Present: Challenges of Time in Art History, which will take place on 11–12 May 2023 at The Warburg Institute. The workshop will explore anew art history’s complex dealings with time and the relationship between the present and the past in art history, initiating a dialogue that critically considers old and new methods in our field.

Submission Details

Please submit a one-hundred word abstract for a fifteen-minute presentation by 11.59pm (GMT) on Monday 15 March 2023 listing "The Intellectual Histories of Art and the Archive" as the subject line to: eventspaul-mellon-centre.ac.uk

Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered.

This is a collaboration between the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and the Warburg Institute, London. The co-convenors of this workshop are Chloe Julius, current holder of the PMC’s Archive Fellowship, and Ambra D’Antone.