Histories of Conservation and Art History in Modern Europe
This book traces the development of scientific conservation and technical art history.
It takes as its starting point the final years of the nineteenth century, which saw the establishment of the first museum laboratory in Berlin, and ground-breaking international conferences on art history and conservation held in pre-World War I Germany. It follows the history of conservation and art history until the 1940s when, from the ruins of World War II, new institutions such as the Istituto Centrale del Restauro emerged, which would shape the post-war art and conservation world.
The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, conservation history, historiography, and history of science and humanities.
Sven Dupré is Director of the Research Institute for History and Art History, and a Professor of History of Art, Science and Technology at Utrecht University and the University of Amsterdam. He was PI of the ARTECHNE project "Technique in the Arts: Concepts, Practices, Expertise, 1500–1950," supported by a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant (2015–2021).
Jenny Boulboullé is a historian and philosopher, studying hands-on practices in the arts and sciences. She has held research positions at Columbia University, Utrecht University, and the University of Amsterdam as a member of the "Making and Knowing" project and the ARTECHNE project, and at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands.