From the 2nd to the 4th of June, the 12th edition of the Art History Festival will take place at the Château de Fontainebleau. Belgium will be the guest of honor, and Climate the central theme of the festival. Curbing global warming is a matter of great urgency, becoming a topic of many debates and concerns.
The Art History Festival is a national event of the Ministry of Culture co-organized by the Château de Fontainebleau and the National Institute of Art History. Its aim is to highlight the discipline in the eyes of the greatest international professionals as well as the widest possible audience. Through a varied program of free activities for young and old, it is structured around a theme and a guest country that is honored in each edition.
Created in 2011, the Art History Festival aims to highlight the discipline in the eyes of the greatest international professionals but also the widest audience. Through a very varied program of free activities for young and old, it is articulated around a theme and a guest country honored at each edition. The festival invites art historians, of course, but also artists, architects, filmmakers, writers, actors and musicians of all generations to bring the discipline to life in the sumptuous surroundings of Fontainebleau.
The festival’s objective is to bring art history into dialogue with other disciplines, from literature, philosophy, geography, anthropology and sociology, to chemistry, physics, mathematics. From the artists themselves to the researchers and editors of the art world. It promotes all forms of artistic expression and exchange around workshops and meetings.
1. Belgium
The history of Belgian art goes beyond its own borders. Until its declaration of independence in 1830, the borders of the flat country have always been in perpetual movement, modified by wars and alliances between European powers. The festival tells multiple stories that transcend national borders through the history of contemporary Belgium, which, since 1830, has become a formidable place of international openness and cultural diversity.
Clichés about what it means to be Belgian, comic books, animated films, militant arts, cinema, fashion, design, dance, fine arts, public museums, private collections will be discussed during conferences, round tables, debates, film screenings, meetings or exhibitions. A diverse and varied program that will delight art lovers.
2. Past editions
From its first occurrence on May 27, 28 and 29, 2011, the Festival of the History of Art meets a strong success with the participation of 15, 000 people over these three days. A renewed success in the second edition with more than 18 000 visitors. The event started off on a high note and quickly managed to establish its place as a reference event. In 2016, nearly 27,000 participants, then 45,000 in 2017, flocked to Fontainebleau to share their interest in the arts and their stories. 2017 also saw the festival open up beyond Europe; making the United States its guest country of honor.
More and more European and now international actors are making these three days a festival not to be missed, while the 10th edition of the festival, scheduled for 2020 and postponed to 2021, honors Japan. After Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States, Greece and the Nordic countries, French art history is now comparing its research and teaching methods, its museum conservation policy and its heritage management on a global scale.
The festival offers three exceptional days. With free access for all, there are more than 300 events attached to the event. Between debates, lectures, readings and concerts, there are also original artistic performances and guided tours of exhibitions created for the occasion around the theme of the edition and the guest country of honor. For example, ancient games from the Nordic countries are presented to the youngest audience (2019), there are choreographic extracts in the large apartments of the castle (2015) or conferences on the constitution of the artistic district of East London in the festival (2013).
