Appel à contribution : Restoration knowledge. Reception models for museology and art history (Rome, Avril 2013)

Call for papers : Restoration knowledge. Reception models for museology and art history
International conference (Rome, « La Sapienza » University of studies, April 2013)

It seems to be essential, at this moment, to confirm that which not long ago may have been considered paradoxical, that is to say the need to interpret the history of restoration, of conservation, of safeguard, as a process closely related to art history, art criticism and the history of museum institutions. Furthermore, in order to cope with various different shifts, one feels the necessity to go back to the beginning and analyse the subject from different angles, alternating philological analysis with different historiographical sources and traditions in order to be able to interpret art works in the context of their true historical stratification so that theoretical, practical and scientific considerations can also gain meaning in the light of the operative, cultural and institutional positions referred to.
The conference, foreseen for April 2013, has the purpose of presenting research revealing the dynamic, reciprocally influential relationship between historic-artistic forms of thought, museum history and safeguard of the patrimony and history of restoration, being a pause for reflection after about fifteen years of studies carried out in the context of Projects of Important National Interest (PRIN), nationally coordinated by the Sapienza University of Rome, in collaboration with the Historical Archive and Data Bank of Italian Restorers (Giovanni Secco Suardo Association) for the project named Culture of restoration and restorers: reception models for museology and ancient and modern art history.

Contributions on the following subjects are required:
1. Works and References: Considerations focussing on conservation matters of single works or decorative complexes proving to be particularly significant as examples of how restoration choices are intimately connected to changes of reception, critical acclaim and increased knowledge of that work. Furthermore it could be useful to consider art criticism history texts as reference for restoration history and visa versa.
2. Roles and Biographies: Contributions dedicated to connoisseurs, art historians, scholars, scientific experts, restorers who have had to deal with the problem of restoration from a theoretical and practical point of view, in relation, or not, to a specific institutional situation.
3. Museums: Contributions in order to understand if some museums have had a precise role in the guidelines of the restoration and conservation policy and, this being the case, how much these guidelines have met with the planning and installation criteria applied.

Those interested are invited to send, by the 30th October 2012, a brief abstract of the contribution they wish to propose (maximum 2.000 characters, spaces included), sending it to
convegnorestauro2013@gmail.com
Abstracts and papers will be accepted in both English and Italian.
By the 30 November 2012, after a selection carried out by the scientific committee, possible acceptance of the proposal will be communicated by e-mail.

Conference curators:
Maria Beatrice Failla (Turin University)
Susanne Adina Meyer (Macerata University)
Chiara Piva (Ca’ Foscari University Venice)

Scientific Committee: Giuseppe Basile, Olivier Bonfait, Giorgio Bonsanti, Gisella Capponi, Silvia Cecchini, Marco Ciatti, Gianluigi Colalucci, Paola D’Alconzo, Helen Glanville, Michela di Macco, Massimo Ferretti, Carlo Giantomassi, Donata Levi, Mario Micheli, Marina Righetti, Lidia Rissotto, Pilar Roig Picazo, Orietta Rossi Pinelli, Ursula Schaedler-Saub, Lanfranco Secco Suardo, Bruno Toscano, Nathalie Volle