Recommendation 1621 (2003)1
The promotion of art history in Europe
1. The visual arts constitute a cornerstone of
European culture stretching from the prehistoric to the contemporary, enriched
in recent times by the moving image and the new technologies.
2. This heritage has been the object of constant
intellectual and political debate. It has been a source of delight for many
and an incentive to creativity. It is closely bound up with notions of
identity on different levels. It is an important testament to the diversity of
European culture. It is also an area of significant economic activity
(commissioning of works of art, the art trade, tourism).
3. Appreciation of artistic diversity can lead
to greater European understanding. Art can also be used as propaganda and can
be a source of division and intolerance. Iconoclasm unfortunately still has a
modern parallel in the targeting of political and religious monuments today.
4. The artistic heritage is also increasingly
exposed to the negative effects of globalisation (over-simplification and
concentration), to commercial exploitation or to destruction from neglect or
for alternative development.
5. These forces must be contained. But
unfortunately those employed in the protection, conservation and study of the
heritage are in general inadequate for the task, being too few in number,
often poorly paid and unequally trained. While the situation varies greatly
throughout Europe and is currently of especial concern in the countries in
transition, there is in general insufficient recognition of the need for
better career structures for those involved.
6. The Parliamentary Assembly believes that it
is important for member states to pay attention not only to the conservation
of the artistic and architectural heritage and the skills needed to conserve
it, but also to the promotion of understanding of this heritage on the level
of the public, the professions concerned and the political authorities.
7. The Assembly welcomes the contribution
already made by the Council of Europe to promotion of awareness of the
cultural heritage, notably through the Council of Europe Art Exhibitions, the
European Heritage Classes and Heritage Days, the European museum awards and
the European cultural itineraries. It recommends that the Committee of
Ministers continue to support these activities.
8. It also recommends that the Committee of
Ministers promote art history in Europe by asking member states to take
measures to:
in academic institutions
i. support study and research in art history
by ensuring that there are sufficient practitioners employed in museums and
universities;
ii. encourage international contacts between
art historians, especially for those in countries in transition;
iii. develop codes of good
conduct for the employment of the service of academics in the identification
and attribution of art objects;
and in a wider perspective
iv. give consideration to the management of
the career structure of art historians both within academic institutions and
in art history-related employment;
v. promote co-operation with other academic
disciplines and links between art history and vocational higher education in
the arts and design;
vi. encourage and support conferences and
meetings for the wide range of practitioners in art history both within and
between member states;
in museums
vii. sponsor and support art exhibitions, both
large and small, and co-operate in the loan and exchange of exhibitions and
items for inclusion in exhibitions in each other’s museums and galleries;
viii. promote open debate on art and art
historical subjects;
ix. encourage good practice in involving art
historians and the public in dialogue on their collections (permanent and
temporary);
x. encourage museums and galleries of modern
and contemporary art to link their collections with the wider historical
perspective;
in the field of conservation
xi. encourage and promote co-operation between
art historians and those responsible for the education of conservators to
ensure the best standards of conservation and environmental control of
monuments and sites;
xii. consider the development of European
standards for conservation training and conservation work;
in tourism
xiii.
encourage their tourist industries to associate art historians in the
preparation of cultural itineraries and enable foreign, trained professional
guides to accompany tourist groups;
xiv. encourage the development of cultural
itineraries that illustrate art historical themes;
xv. encourage the development of alternatives
to the most well-known sites and collections so as to relieve the pressure
on these sites and broaden public appreciation and the economic benefits of
tourism;
in the art trade
xvi. encourage academically and professionally
recognised diplomas for those employed in art auctions, art evaluation for
insurance, and the art trade in general as well as those concerned with
policing the illegal movement of art;
in schools
xvii. ensure that the basic curriculum
includes an introduction to the history of art and looking at art as well as
to artistic expression;
xviii. promote in schools the study not only
of indigenous art but also of the art of the regions of Europe and world art
in a European context;
xix. encourage and develop educational visits
to museums, galleries, monuments and sites;
in the media
xx. support and co-operate in the digitisation
of visual materials to be accessible in archives and on the Internet, while
avoiding excessive commercialisation of this access;
xxi. collect examples of good practice in the
presentation of art history in the media;
in general
xxii. promote the enjoyment and understanding
of art by the general public in specific ways, including increasing access
to monuments, sites and art collections.
