ANN: “Oeuvromania in the Age of Reason” – Antoinette Friedenthal will deliver the Safra Colloquy Keynote Lecture (Online / CASVA, National Gallery Washington, 4 May 2023, 2-3pm EDT)


The catalogue raisonné of the 18th century grew on the medium of prints. As multiples, these enabled collectors to assemble an artist’s oeuvre, an activity which fired their demand for information. The catalogue raisonné responded to this demand. Its best specimens combined commercially relevant expertise with professional know-how and sometimes even entertainment. Social and economic constellations shaped the making of the catalogue raisonné—which remains one of the most successful genres of art historical literature until today.

Dr. Antoinette Friedenthal, a founding member of TIAMSA, studied in Heidelberg, Berlin, and London before becoming research assistant at the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome and then research scholar at the Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. Now an independent art historian, she researches the image and self-portraits of artists, as well as the history and function of the catalogue raisonné, a topic on which she has published widely. With the Éditions du Louvre / El Viso she is about to bring out a volume of letters by Jean and Pierre Jean Mariette: “La fureur de la curiosité m’emporte.” Les Mariette et le Prince Eugène de Savoie. Lettres d’un voyage à travers l’Europe, 1717–1719.

CASVA – Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts

National Gallery Washington DC

West Building Lecture Hall and Virtual

This program is open to invited guests and will not be recorded. No registration is required to join in person. Register here to attend virtually.

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