This talk mobilizes the long and intriguing history of the Object Biography to better understand the uses, attractions, and pitfalls of the concept today. After a brief recapitulation of the concept’s past, it willÌýintroduce three different examples – the long life story of flax, the forensic attraction of paint samples taken from famous artworks, and the relation of researchers with their research objects – to explore what art historians in particular may gain or lose when working with object-biographical approaches.
Professor Ann-Sophie Lehmann studied art history in Vienna and Utrecht and worked in the Department of Media & Culture at Utrecht University. Since 2015, sheÌýhas held the chair for Art History & Material Culture at the University of Groningen. HerÌýresearch and publications contribute to aÌýhistorically informed, theoretical framework for the study of artistic practices and the materiality of art objects.ÌýCurrently she works on human-material relations in making objects, caring for objects, and teaching with objects.
Organised by Dr Pia Gottschaller (The Courtauld)
