CFP: Seminar on Collecting and Display (held at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London)

The Collecting and Display Seminar Group at the Institute of Historical Research, London was founded in 2004 to provide a forum for new research into the many different aspects of the history of collecting from the ancient world to the present day. Our monthly seminars cover a wide range of topics from the study of individual collectors and the art market to the many different types of collections acquired over the centuries. Although the main emphasis is on art and artefacts, collections of memorabilia, scientific or ethnographic collections have also been covered, as have topics related to restitution. Papers have considered every type of collection, from royal and aristocratic collections to those of private citizens. We regularly hold conferences on these topics which have resulted in a number of publications.

Papers are invited for October 2025 – June 2026. We encourage research that opens the field of collecting to new debates on the motives of collectors, methods and networks of collecting, the market for works of art and the roles of dealers and auction houses, different types of collections and display. We are able to offer some limited support for travel from abroad where necessary, but have no other funds.

Please submit your proposal of c 300 words with a short biography to collecting_display@hotmail.com. Sessions will take place in October, November, December, January, February, March, May and June. We will be able to confirm precise dates when these have been allocated.