Philip Rahtz Lecture Theatre, Kings Manor, University of York, UK, Jul 09, 2025, 4–6pm. All welcome, no ticket required.
The period of Western art history known as “the Baroque” has traditionally been interpreted as a stylistic phenomenon, the result of shifts in elite taste between classical decorum and rococo exuberance. Yet artistic production in Europe c. 1600–1750 was enabled by a proto-industrial world system dominated by Spain and Portugal, the Netherlands and later Britain, entangling material culture in networks of trade and colonial rule that stretched from Naples to Nagasaki. As scholars and curators have been keener to emphasise than ever before, the cultural politics of early modern art are, in many ways, akin to those of our own globalised and media-saturated present. This roundtable event seeks to broaden perspectives on the Baroque in a museum context. Curators from London and Dublin will discuss issues of public engagement, contemporary artistic response, and historical interpretation, with a particular focus on Dutch and Flemish art.
Convenors:
- Adam Sammut, University of York
- Tomasz Grusiecki, Boise State University
- Richard McClary, University of York
- Cordula van Wyhe, University of York
Speakers:
- Lizzie Marx, Curator of Dutch and Flemish Art, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
- Helen Hillyard, Head of Collection, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
- Timothy Revell, Outreach and Alumni Manager, Articulation, The National Gallery, London