Course teached as: B031910 - STORIA DELL'ARTE CONTEMPORANEA (METODOLOGIE, STRUMENTI E PRATICHE) Second Cycle Degree in HISTORY OF ART
Teaching Language
Italian
Course Content
The course will combine two class approaches, a “frontal” one and a seminar one, developing a multi-year research course dedicated to the most recent contemporary art.
The bibliography will be agreed with each group (depending on whether participants or non-participants to the seminars).
Argomenti d'esame e bibliografia.
Relatori dei seminari:
1) Lezioni frontali
2) Incontri con gli artisti
3) Partecipazione a tutte le lezioni (comprese quelle a carattere seminariale)
Non relatori dei seminari:
1) Lezioni frontali
2) Incontri con gli artisti
3) Partecipazione a tutte le lezioni (comprese quelle a carattere seminariale)
4) T. Godfrey, L'arte contemporanea. Un panorama globale, Torino, Einaudi, 2020, pp. 9-29 e 113-262.
5) G. Bacci, Confini. Viaggi nell'arte contemporanea, Milano, Postmediabooks, 2022.
6) G. Bindi, Arte, ambiente, ecologia, Milano, Postmediabooks, 2019.
Learning Objectives
Development of historical-critical skills, applied to research concerning periods close to recent art criticism. Acquisition and development of a correct research methodology.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of medieval and modern art history, and contemporary history.
Teaching Methods
Frontal lessons, seminars, meetings with artists and museum curators.
Further information
Preliminary meetings are scheduled for the course.
Type of Assessment
Attendance is mandatory, both during frontal and seminar lessons. The exam will be oral and will start from the results acquired in the preparation and presentation of the seminar. The bibliography will be agreed with each group. For those who will not be able to attend the seminars, a specific bibliography will be drawn up. Preliminary meetings are scheduled for the course, signing up on moodle is strongly recommended.
Course program
The course, developing methodologies and practices refined in recent years, will be dealt with in two parts, combining an “in the field” approach with a more traditional, “frontal” one.
In the frontal lessons, the course will address (the theme of) the relationship between contemporary art and the environment, exploring its implications not only on an artistic and historical level, but also anthropological, sociological, and geographical ones. With the tools of the art historian, we will think about the status of contemporary art of the last twenty to thirty years, highlighting its roles and tasks. Before that, an introduction will be made on the concept of art and activism: what does “artivism” mean? Is it legitimate to talk about this for artists whose works are placed in the global political sphere? How should we place ourselves, at an interpretative level, in the face of semantically complex works, which go beyond boundaries and habitual readings? Starting from these and other questions, which were also raised in the last Venice Biennale, the course aims to provide students with the tools to understand and go into some of the most pressing issues of contemporary art.
During the “in the field” part, students will be given the opportunity to collaborate with institutions that are dedicated to contemporary art not only in Florence (Museo Novecento, Palazzo Strozzi, Murate Art District, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze and Manifattura Tabacchi ), but also in Tuscany (thanks to the renewed collaboration with the Tuscan Region government through the Toscanaincontemporanea tender, and with the Pecci Center of Prato). Students will be involved in activities related to curating, setting up exhibitions and cultural mediation, adopting approaches that will be specified and detailed during meetings that will take place before the start of the course, in particular in late autumn and early months of 2023. To this end, it is advisable to register for the course on moodle as soon as possible (from the 1st of October), since the various communications will take place through this channel.