The Artist as an Art Historian

The role of the artist as an art historian, well known thanks to contributions as renowned as those of Giorgio Vasari’s Lives…, which condense the entire Italian 16^th C. Renaissance, or Antonio Palomino’s 18^th C. contributions to the historical Spanish Baroque in his El Museo pictórico y escala óptica…, is long-standing and auspicious, overcoming major transformations ensuing the configuration of the history of art into a discipline — this happening in the 19^th C.  The artistic historiography that was shaped throughout the 19^th C. established its epistemological and institutional autonomy, especially in the divide between past and present. The scientific history of art developed in the late modern era was to be inaccessible to artists, as it presupposes working with the primary sources, a systematic knowledge of the works, and the competencies and skills necessary to attribute and date the artistic goods in question. The XV Cátedra del Prado, under the guidance of Greek historian Maria Stavrinaki, will scrutinize the modern discourse of artists as art historians, focusing especially on cultural events that came to pass after World War II and the effects of which on today’s understanding of art is, even now, notable.

The Cátedra is addressed to a general audience as well as to researchers-in-training and to a specialized audience. It will take place during the month of November and comprises three different activities. The core element is a four-conference cycle, programmed on Thursday afternoons at the Auditorium of the Museo del Prado. The secondary element is a seminar for young researchers under the guidance of the Cátedra’s lead, scheduled on Friday mornings. The work carried out in this intensive seminar allows for an in-depth exploration of the issues addressed in the conferences and provides insight into resources available for research purposes. Finally, a colloquium has been timetabled which will consist of a lecture by the Cátedra’s lead followed by another three lectures delivered by three researchers. These lectures will have been prepared with the aim of ensuring that optimum conditions are in place to facilitate a broad academic debate on the main issue at hand.