Fleur Pellerin, Minister of Culture and Communication, announces the holding of the fifth edition of the Art History Festival, which will take place on May 29, 30 and 31, 2015 at the castle and in the town of Fontainebleau. The theme of this edition will be «Material of the work», and with the Netherlands as guest country.

Unique in Europe, the Art History Festival is an event that brings together art history experts from around the world. Designed as a crossroads of audiences and knowledge, this meeting is open to all and offers for three days: conferences, debates, concerts, exhibitions, projections, readings and meetings in the castle and in several sites of the city of Fontainebleau.

The 2015 programme, with more than 200 free events, will be marked by meetings, conferences, round tables, screenings, readings, etc. It is organized around a theme, «Material of the work», and a country invited to the Forum of Current Affairs: the Netherlands.

«Material of the work»

Between the history of art and the history of techniques, the material of the work questions this link between the subject represented and the work itself. The destruction of material or the re-use of materials also fascinates and raises the question of the authenticity of the work. The theme will therefore address the question of the true and the false but also of the precious and the simplicity, the sacred and the profane. Finally, the question of dematerialisation, a central aspect of the creation of the 20th and 21st centuries, from conceptual art to digital arts, which modifies the relationship between the viewer and the work of art, will also be addressed.

Three major events

  • Art & Camera, the film section of the Festival, pays tribute to Dutch filmmakers and addresses the different aspects of the theme as well as the links between cinema and art history.
  • The Salon du livre et de la revue d'art brings together again this year a large number of publishers and booksellers.
  • Spring University, an opportunity for educational proposals for the teaching of the arts in schools, is supported by the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research.

The organization of the Festival is under the direction of a steering committee that brings together the General Directorate of Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the National Institute of Art History and the Fontainebleau Castle. Its programming is provided by a scientific committee led by the National Institute of Art History and chaired for three years from the 2015 edition by Pierre Rosenberg.

Practical information :

29, 30 and 31 May 2015 in the castle and in the town of Fontainebleau

On the internet: http://festivaldelhistoiredelart.com

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