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Musea Brugge is pleased to announce the upcoming conference '(Re)searching connections', which will provide a forum for scholarly exchange about the international social networks of artists active in the period 1750–1914. The conference will be held in Rome, Italy, on 30 September and 1 October 2025. Registration is now open.
The two-day international academic conference presents recent and ongoing research into the social networks of artists who lived, studied, and worked abroad in the period 1750–1914. The conference is organized in collaboration with the Academia Belgica.
Embracing a broad chronological and geographical scope, the conference brings together insights spanning the long nineteenth century and various global contexts. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue across art history, sociology, and digital humanities, and by connecting diverse methodologies and findings across specializations, we aim to deepen our understanding of the transnational social connections that “make” art history.
10:00-10:15: Welcome & introduction – Cécile Evers (Academia Belgica) & Anne van Oosterwijk (Musea Brugge)
10:15-11:15: Keynote lecture – France Nerlich (Musée d’Orsay): Between legacy and the living: Artistic dialogues in a transnational Europe
11:15-12:45: Session I: Navigating national identities – chair: Christine Dupont (House of European History)
14:15-15:45: Session II: Networks’ sources – chair: Veerle Thielemans (INHA-Institut national d’histoire de l’art)
16:15-17:15: Session III: The studio as a social hub – chair: Laura Overpelt (KNIR-Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome)
10:00-10:15: Introduction – Anne van Oosterwijk (Musea Brugge)
10:15-11:15: Keynote lecture – Giovanna Ceserani (Stanford University): “Here in the proper center for gentlemen of [t]his profession”: Artists in eighteenth-century Rome
11:15-12:45: Session IV: From data to networks – chair: Eva Geudeker (RKD-Netherlands Institute for Art History)
14:15-15:15: Session V: Academies as anchor – chair: Anne van Oosterwijk (Musea Brugge)
15:45-16:45: Session VI: Collaboration across borders – chair: Evelien De Wilde (Musea Brugge)
16:45-17:45: Closing keynote lecture – Giovanna Capitelli (Università Roma Tre): Transnational sources for studying the cosmopolitan art world of early nineteenth-century Rome
18:00-20:00: Reception
Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Please register using the form below by Saturday 20 September 2025.
'(Re)searching connections' is part of the research project Apprentice-Master II, conducted by Musea Brugge with the support of the Flemish Government. From 2024 to 2026, we are researching the international trajectories of alumni from the Bruges Academy of Fine Arts during the long 19th century, further contributing to Musea Brugge’s focus on this period as a central collection pillar. The newly established BRON research centre embodies Musea Brugge’s commitment to innovative scholarship.
The scientific committee of the conference consists of: Thijs Dekeukeleire (Musea Brugge), Evelien De Wilde (Musea Brugge), Christine Dupont (House of European History), Eva Geudeker (RKD-Netherlands Institute for Art History), Fien Messens (Ghent University and KBR-Royal Library of Belgium), France Nerlich (Musée d’Orsay), Laura Overpelt (KNIR-Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome and Utrecht University), Asker Pelgrom (Nationaal Centrum voor de Nederlandse Buitenplaatscultuur), Veerle Thielemans (Institut national d’histoire de l’art), Laurence Van Kerkhoven (Musea Brugge), Anne Van Oosterwijk (Musea Brugge)
For suggestions or more information about the conference, feel free to reach out.
