Historicizing Art: Knowledge Production in Art History in Estonia amidst Changing Ideologies and Disciplinary Developments

The main objective of the project is to examine the process of historicizing art by means of art historiography and knowledge production (writing of art histories, exhibition practice etc.) in Estonia from the 19th to the 21st century. Throughout times same works of art and architecture, as well as entire narratives of local artistic development, have been presented in various ways and assembled into surpisingly differing histories. These, in turn, have formed the basis for understanding and perceiving historical art in the society at large. The project aims to explore how these juxtaposing art histories relate to and differ from one another, and how politics, ideologies, the international discourse of art history and local historiographical tradition have affected these different interpretations. Thus the project sets one of its tasks also to study the historical cultural situations and transnational cultural exchange that have brought these particular perceptions of heritage about.