59. Many Middle Ages: Exhibitions of Medieval Art in Perspective
This session aims to examine the presentation of medieval and Byzantine art and its periodization through curatorial practices. Permanent and temporary exhibitions distill extensive research for broad audiences through a variety of curatorial strategies. As forums for the negotiation of scholarly issues, exhibitions engage in direct discourse with academic and institutional systems of knowledge. The themes applied to medieval works of art often correspond to pressing contemporary issues; (art) history is made relevant for diverse audiences, oftentimes engaging with topical matters such as current political developments, sustainability, technological development, and questions related to gender, race, and class, either directly or indirectly. As recent scholarship demonstrates, medieval and Byzantine art in particular, with their intrinsically complex relationships to modernity, often become projections of contemporary identity politics.
Drawing on specific case studies, researchers in this session are welcomed to focus on historical exhibitions in order to examine curatorial approaches to exhibiting the Middle Ages and medieval art. Proposals for papers relating to the formation of grand narratives and the politicization of medieval art history are especially encouraged, as are examinations of the development and professionalization of curatorial work.
Selected References
Buettner, Brigitte and William J. Diebold (Ed.): Medieval Art, Modern Politics, Berlin 2025.
Cormack, Robin: Curating Exhibitions of Byzantium and Lessons to be Learned, in: Viewing Greece. Cultural and Political Agency in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean, ed. by Sharon E. J. Gerstel, Turnhout 2016, pp. 293-350.
Diebold, William J.: The Magdeburg Rider on Display in Modern Germany, in: The Long Lives of Medieval Art and Architecture, ed. by Jennifer M. Feltman and Sarah Thompson, London 2019, pp. 227-241.
Fozi, Shirin: American medieval. Authenticity and the indifference of architecture, in: Journal of the History of Collections 27/3 (2015), pp. 469-480.
Lovino, Francesco: Byzantium on Display. Scholars, Collectors and Dealers at the Exposition Internationale d’Art Byzantin, in: Journal of the History of Collections 32/3 (2020), pp. 509-521.
Nielsen, Christina: ‚The greatest group of medieval objects ever offered for sale.’ The Guelph Treasure and America, 1930-1931, in: Journal of the History of Collections 27/3 (2015), pp. 441-453.
Themes: Medieval art, exhibition history, historiography
Additional format comment: We envision this session including four twenty-minute papers with time for Q&A.
Lead Convenor: Reed O’Mara, Case Western Reserve University; Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte, Germany
Co-convenors: Leonie Schewe, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Germany
To submit a Paper to this Session, please follow the guidance on our website and complete the AAH 2027 Call for Papers Proposal Submission Form.