Foreword

Abstract

What is singular and what is plural in Baltic art histories? Which questions are raised, and how are they answered by art historians? What kind of re- and pre-ferences do art histories make? What are the roles that art histories assume in inter- and cross-disciplinary projects, networks, and everyday realities? What voices do Baltic art histories have locally, regionally, and globally? How do art histories respond to or shape research policies? What are the professional and civic priorities of art historians? These questions called for presentations at the conference “Baltic Art Histories: Roles, References, Relations” held at the Vilnius Academy of Arts on 4–5 October 2024. The papers presented at this conference have been developed into full research articles and are published in the current volume of Acta Acade­ miae Artium Vilnensis. In addition to its apparent goal of addressing topics of shared professional interest, the publication offers insights into the disciplinary roles, research bonds, scholarly challenges, collaborative potential, and shared disciplinary expectations of Baltic art historians. Chronologically, all the articles in the volume address period from the mid-twentieth century to the present; thematically, they fall into three interrelated groups—exhibition history and practice, applied arts and design, and the written output and input of art history.