History of collections: making, reconstruction and interpretation

About this programme

The course provides in-depth knowledge relating to the art market of the past and the present, with a particular focus on the flow of the art object from its original context, via the market, to an institution. In addition, the course discusses the role of historical documentation for the understanding of older collections and the various archive typologies used in the reconstruction of historical collections. Finally, the course provides in-depth knowledge of art-historical and interdisciplinary methods for reconstructing and understanding historical collections as a whole. The course in spring 2027 ends with a field trip to Rome, which may involve costs for the student (the field trip can be replaced by a written assignment). Instruction is given in the form of lectures, seminars, study visits and field studies. The language of instruction is English. The course is examined on the basis of oral presentations and a written assignment. Your teachers are researchers of Art History Anna Bortolozzi and Sabrina Norlander Eliasson. Professor Anna Bortolozzi is a specialist in early modern architecture, with particular interest in the relationship between architecture and cultural identity, the reception of classical and Christian traditions; the practice of architects; architectural drawings and their materiality. Her most recent project examines the role of copies in 18th-century architectural practice. Professor Sabrina Norlander Eliasson specialises in early modern painting, history of collecting and the socio-economic history of art with a particular focus on eighteent