The Vienna School of Art History IV: für Riegl / gegen Riegl.

The fourth international conference held in Prague dealing with the influence of the Vienna School of Art History will aim at Alois Riegl since whose death we will commemorate 120 years. The conference will review critically Riegl's art history in broader context of history, aesthetics, philosophy, cultural studies and other related discourses within the former countries of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The main aim of the conference is to show one of the main representative figures of the Vienna School of Art History beyond the mythical haze it can have in the current historiographical literature, and evaluate Riegl's art history in relation to the contemporary historiographical research methods, focusing on broader cultural, social, ideological as well as intellectual circumstances. Therefore, the conference will accept contributions not only commemorating Riegl and his theory, history and methodology of art history and its positive reception by his students and followers, but it will welcome as well contributions critically revaluating Riegl's concepts, deliberately or by chance opposing his main methodological principles. All contributions – for Riegl and against Riegl – can be devoted to
- historical figures related or opposed to Riegl
- methodological aspects related or opposed to Riegl
- theories related or opposed to Riegl
- influences accepted or refused by Riegl for formation of his art history
- influences of Riegl's art history accepted or refused by his students and followers
- comparison of different historiographical interpretations of Riegl's art history
- uses and misuses of Riegl's art history
- cultural, ideological or social circumstances influencing the acceptance or refusal of Riegl's art history within and beyond Central Europe in the 20th century

Papers on other topics that keep the focus of the conference are also welcomed. The languages of the conference will be German and English.

The keynote lecture Connoisseurship and Art History: Scenes from a Difficult Marriage with Examples from the Vienna School will be delivered by Professor Peter Burke, University of Cambridge.

Each proposal submitted for a 20 minutes talk must include:
- The title of the paper
- A summary (max. 1800 characters in length)
- The author’s name
- The author’s workplace
- The author’s contact details (e-mail address) for communication with the organisers

Please submit the draft of your paper with the information requested above directly to murarudu.cas.cz no later than 31 January 2025. On the decision of acceptance/refusal of the proposed contribution will be the authors informed by the end of February 2025.

Assoc. Prof. Tomáš Winter, Ph.D.
Director of the Institute of Art History of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Prof. PhDr. Tomáš Hlobil, CSc.
PhDr. Tomáš Murár, Ph.D.
Organising Committee