Intellectual Networks of the Vienna School of Art History: Methodological Transfers and Institutional Foundations in Central Europe (1890–1950).

The symposium situates the Vienna School of Art History within a broader European framework and examines its methodological transfers and institutional impact between 1890 and 1950. Central to the discussion will be how theoretical models developed at the University of Vienna contributed to establishing art history as an autonomous academic discipline in diverse national contexts across Central Europe and beyond.
Associated with figures such as Alois Riegl, Franz Wickhoff, Max Dvořák, and Julius von Schlosser, the Vienna School developed influential concepts, including Kunstwollen, the intellectual-historical interpretation of art, and formal-stylistic analysis. Through academic mobility, personal networks, and institutional connections, these approaches played a decisive role in shaping the foundations of art historical research in numerous European countries.
In the Slovene context, the influence of the Vienna School was transmitted above all through figures such as France Stele, Izidor Cankar, and Vojeslav Mole, who studied in Vienna and played a key role in establishing art history as an academic discipline in Slovenia. While their work demonstrates the importance of Viennese methodological approaches in the local context, the symposium is particularly interested in examining comparable figures and processes in other national and regional settings.

The symposium will therefore focus on processes of methodological transfer and transformation: how Viennese theoretical models were adapted to specific cultural, political, and ideological contexts and how they contributed to the formation of national art historical traditions and institutional frameworks. Particular attention will be given to the transnational intellectual networks that connected Vienna with other academic centers and enabled the circulation of ideas within a broader Central European scholarly space.
Initiated and organized by students, the symposium is primarily dedicated to the presentation of student research. Rather than serving solely as a commemoration, the event provides a platform for critically reassessing the legacy of the Vienna School and reflecting on the methodological foundations of the discipline within a contemporary European context. In doing so, it aims to strengthen international cooperation, academic networking, and early-stage research exchange among students from different universities.

Possible topics may include, but are not limited to:
- the reception and adaptation of the Vienna School in individual national contexts;
- representatives, students, and mediators of the Vienna School in different countries;
- academic mobility and intellectual networks connected to the University of Vienna;
- the role of Viennese methodological models in the institutionalization of art history;
- lesser-known aspects of student life and experience in Vienna (e.g. student writings, memoirs, correspondence, caricatures, or other archival traces);
- reflections on the presence and interpretation of the Vienna School within specific art historical traditions.

Contributions should be designed as presentations of no more than 20 minutes. Applicants are invited to submit their CV and an abstract of their proposed paper by 10. 5. 2026. Applications are open to undergraduate (BA), master’s (MA), and doctoral (PhD) students. You can apply by submitting your abstract via the following form: https://forms.gle/AjtdCa5Lujk4yUME8.