Lasting Possessions: Old Masters Collections Across Provenance Research and Beyond.

On the occasion of its 140th anniversary (1884–2024) and the upcoming exhibition of Dutch painting in the Klovićevi dvori Gallery, the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts is pleased to announce the call for papers for the conference Lasting Possessions: Old Master Collections Across Provenance Research and Beyond, to be held in Zagreb (Croatia) on 13 and 14 December 2024.

Organised within the framework of the research project Provenance Research on Artwork in Zagreb Collections (Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts), funded by the Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ IP-2020-02-1356), the conference aims to bring together scholars and museum professionals involved in the research, preservation and presentation of Old Master collections in the broadest sense (painting, sculpture, prints), both public and private.

In the wake of the earthquakes that struck Zagreb in 2020, the immediate closure of the majority of public collections has placed many museums in a position where they have had to navigate unprecedented challenges related to reconstruction, repair and conservation. Concurrently, while preparing new permanent displays, these exceptional circumstances have afforded the chance to reconsider the potential of research, presentation and interpretation of artwork in permanent collections, which have heretofore been largely confined to matters of style. However, the longevity of individual works of art has typically been shaped by complex and evolving social forces, which can only be fully elucidated through a rigorous integration of provenance research, art historical analysis, and museum practice. It is imperative that the new challenges of dealing with changes of ownership and (dis)possession, which are primarily addressed by provenance research, are widely implemented into museum practice, either in the context of reconstructing a museum object’s history, or in relation to the art market and the history of collecting

With this in mind, we welcome paper proposals from scholars and museum professionals dealing with European art from the 13th to the early 20th century addressing the following (but not exclusive) topics:
- collectors and their identity
- museums and collectors’ histories
- art collections and Nation and/or State
- collecting and collections of Old Masters- history and historical narrative(s)
- housing and exhibiting Old Masters / Old Master exhibitions of historical significance
- origins of collections - acquisition policy and the art market
- process(es) of institutionalisation
- lost objects and collections / primary sources / reconstruction
- curatorial history of (museum) objects - values of attribution
- Old Masters unveiled - new discoveries in conservation and restoration
- “two art histories” - academia and museum
- scholarship, museum practice and dissemination of knowledge: models of (re)interpretation and (re)presentation
- digitisation of collections and provenance research
- exhibiting provenance research histories
- research exhibitions and public art history

Please send a proposal for a 15-minute presentation in English, including title, abstract (up to 250 words) and a short CV (up to 100 words) in a single file to lasting.possessions.conferencegmail.com by 10 November 2024.

Successful applicants will be notified by 15 November 2024. The final programme will be communicated by the end of November 2024.

The conference will be held in person and speakers are expected to present their papers on site. There is no conference fee, but please note that the organisers cannot contribute towards speakers’ travel and/or accommodation costs.

Conference venues:
Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb
The Klovićevi dvori Gallery, Zagreb

Conference partners:
Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb
The Klovićevi dvori Gallery, Zagreb
Museum Documentation Centre, Zagreb