Since its creation in 2011 by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the National Institute of Art History (INHA), the Festival of Art History aims to make the public aware of the history of art by combining scientific rigor and accessibility. This 14th edition continues the same aims. She relates to two themes: the real / false and Austria, a guest country. Two hundred events are scheduled for three days (June 6 to 8), divided between conferences, round tables, meetings, projections and concerts.
In recent years, the Festival has been working to integrate societal issues. For this edition he highlights the theme of the real / false, by approaching the notion of authenticity, the counterfeiters, the copy, the restoration, the post-truth or the artificial intelligence.
The INHA received 140 responses to the call for candidates, a reflection of the mobilization of museums, directly affected by these subjects. One of them, of great topicality, is the search for provenance, discussed during the professional meetings entitled: “Sense and challenges of the search for provenance”.
Around this theme, several events are planned. “Faux, art market disease”with the antique dealer Éric Turquin, returns to the Ruffini affair. An investigation into the false drawings of the Louvre and their context is carried out by Federica Mancini, collection manager at the Louvre museum. Artificial intelligence and contemporary art are discussed in “Le Monde according to AI”, at the Jeu de Paume, where academics and researchers Antonio Samaini and Ada Ackerman present the exhibition and its issues.
Austria is also honored this year, with a delegation of around thirty artists, conservatives, researchers and commissioners. Markus Schinwald, Austrian visual artist, inaugurates the demonstration with the conference “Confession: why I am a historian and non -painter”. The history of Austrian art is explored as a whole, from the Venus of Willendorf to the Viennese secession. Among the conferences: “The Viennese Jews, from the Belle Époque to the Shoah”,, “The art market in Austria at the era of Anschluss” Or an interview with Susanna Fritscher, Austrian artist creating visual, sound and architectural installations.
Cinema occupies an important place in the festival, with the screening of several films related to themes and the guest country. Sissifrom Ernst Marischka, and Favoritefrom Ruth Beckermann, offer two contrasting visions of Austria and its history: the first in the form of romance, the second in documentary. The director participates in a discussion after the screening. You haven’t seen anything yetAlain Resnais, and The Truman Showfrom Peter Weir, explore the theme of true and false, highlighting the ambivalence of the theater, between illusion and reality.
The 2024 edition had attracted 36,000 visitors. Entrance is free except for certain cinema sessions. Saturday and Sunday hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
