Musée du Louvre, Paris, November 23 – 24, 2017
Deadline: Aug 15, 2017
Ards Study Day 2017
Collecting Medieval Sculpture
Ards, M-Museum Leuven (B) is launching a Call for papers for the 4th annual colloquium ‘Current research in medieval and renaissance sculpture’, which will be held in the Musée du Louvre in Paris (FR) on November 24th 2017.
During the colloquium we will be having keynote speakers on the topic and a selection of submitted papers in plenum. One day before, on November 23rd, we will have the opportunity to visit the magnificent collection of medieval sculpture in the Arts décoratifs Museum in Paris as well as other suggested excursions.
This year we are inviting all researchers and curators working specifically on and with specific sculpture collections or collectors to submit papers. Firstly, we want to take a look at collecting medieval sculpture. How did or do medieval sculpture collections get formed? How has medieval sculpture been collected in the past (including in the middle ages and renaissance period) and how is this evolving right now? We know the prices on the art market are slowly rising as medieval sculpture is becoming increasingly more interesting as an investment. Can we take a closer look at what’s happening in that area? In december 2014 the Getty Museum acquired a rare medieval alabaster sculpture of Saint Philip by the Master of the Rimini Altarpiece at Sotheby’s for no less than 542,500 GBP. If a small statuette by an anonymous master can generate this kind of money at a sale, this must mean the ‘market’ for medieval sculpture is shifting thoroughly.
Moreover, does the exhibition or publication of medieval sculpture influence this trend? It is a fact that the more we know about an art piece or artist, the more interesting it becomes to buy or exhibit them. What are the motifs or instigating factors for museums and private collectors to collect this intrinsiquely religiously inspired and therefore (?) ‘less attractive’ discipline. Links can be drawn to the abolition of churchly instances at the end of the 19th century and the gothic revival in the 19th century, the export of mainland patrimony to the United Kingdom.
Would you like to submit a paper for this conference? Your proposal can be of an art-historical, historical as well as a technical or scientific nature. Multidisciplinarity is encouraged.
Priority will be given to speakers presenting new findings and contributions relevant to the specific conference theme. The conference committee, consisting of sculpture curators from M – Museum Leuven will select papers for the conference. Submissions that are not selected for presentation in plenum, can still be taken into consideration for (digital) poster presentation.There are no fees, nor retribution of transport and/or lodging costs for the selected papers. After the conference, presentations will be shared online with the Ards-network on the website, so please make sure your pictures are copyright cleared.
How to submit your proposal?
– Write in English or French. Presentations are given in English or French.
– Include a short CV.
– Max. 500 words for abstracts (excl. authors name(s) and contact details).
– E-mail to marjan.debaene@leuven.be.
– Deadline: 31.08.17.
Successful applicants will receive a notification by 15.09.17.
For more info, visit www.ards.be