Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art

Dear friends and colleagues,

Saint Petersburg State University, Lomonosov Moscow State University and The State Hermitage Museum invite you to be a participant of the seventh international conference

The Actual Problems of History and Theory of Art”.

The conference is to be held on October 11-15, 2016, in Saint Petersburg, at the various university and Hermitage facilities.

We are also planning a number of field trips and special events at the museums and libraries of Saint Petersburg, Novgorod the Great, Pavlovsk, Peterhof and Oranienbaum.

The conference is held under the patronage of the major Russian universities and supported by the leading museums of Russian Federation. “The Actual Problems of History and Theory of Art” conference is an international forum dedicated to the important issues of history of fine arts and architecture, as well as the research, interpretation and conservation of various items and subjects of Russian and World’s artistic heritage, paying special attention to cooperation of scholarly work and museum practice.

The conference framework will consist of a plenary session and a number of sections dedicated to the various topics from Prehistoric to contemporary art; among them — art of Classical antiquity, Eastern Christian art, Old Rus’ art, Western European medieval art, art of the Renaissance, Modern art, Western art of the 20th–21stcenturies, Russian art of the 18th–19thcenturies, contemporary Russian art, and also the theory of art, as well as panel discussion «Museum. Creating the Future».

Applications for your participation in the conference, and abstracts of your articles (in Russian and in English, 2000-3500 characters for each abstract) on all the themes from antiquity to modernity are accepted until May 25, 2016 on our web site actual-art.spbu.ru (About > Submission of applications)

Our plenary session and the sections’ sittings this year will be open for debates on the main theme of the conference, which goes as follows:

Artifact, Art-object, Argument. Object in Fine Arts: Objectives, Methods, Results”

An art-object as it is, from the moment of its creation to the time when it is actually presented to viewers, will be in the focus of our upcoming conference. An artifact as a “thing-in-itself” acquires its existence from the day it has been created, but its real discovery starts at the time of either its archeological acquisition, or its emergence in historical realities, or — in the specific artistic environment.

We welcome poster and oral presentations.

The working languages of the conference are Russian and English.

Programme and Organizing committee:

Co-Chairmen: prof. A.Kh. Daudov, Director of The Institute for History of Saint Petersburg State University; prof. M.B. Piotrovsky, Director General of The State Hermitage Museum, associate member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; prof. I.I. Tuchkov, Dean of the Historical Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University.

The Committee Staff:prof. S. P. Karpov, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences; prof. G.V. Vilinbahov, Deputy Director of The State Hermitage Museum; Dr. M.M. Dandamaeva, Academic secretary of The State Hermitage Museum; prof. A.Yu. Kazaryan, Deputy Director of the State Institute for Art Studies; Dr. A.A. Trofimova, Head of the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities (The State Hermitage Museum); prof. E.A Doronchenkov (European University in Saint Petersburg); prof. E. Stevovich (Belgrade university); prof. A. Jacobini (“Sapienza” University in Rome); Dr. N.C. Jijina, Senior researcher (The State Hermitage Museum); Dr. O.G. Makho, Head of the Research and Methodological Sector, Educational Department  (The State Hermitage Museum); associate prof. Z.A. Hakobyan (Erevan State University); S.V. Maltseva, Head lecturer (St. Petersburg State University); Dr. A.V. Zakharova, Head lecturer (Lomonosov Moscow State University); E.Yu. Stanyukovich-Denisova, Head lecturer (St. Petersburg State University) and others.

Postgraduate and PhD. students should also provide a recommendation letter from their academic supervisor either sent to conference@actual-art.org from his/her personal e-mail box or scanned and attached to an application.

The applicants will get informed on our decision not later than July 30, 2016.

The most interesting papers and presentations are going to be published in our annual book in 2017.

We shall provide accommodation for the foreign participants during the conference.

For any questions please write to conference@actual-art.org (att: “For the conference”).

In order to increase academic cooperation, the Organizing Committee asks you to bring the newsletter of the conference via the social network to the attention of those colleagues who would be interested to join it.

Best regards,
Organizing committee.