Florence and Rome are of fundamental importance to those working in the humanities, since most of its disciplines originate in late medieval or early modern Italy, and even postmodernism has some of its most significant roots in Italy’s intellectual debates. Therefore, Florence and Rome are ideal sites to explore the historiography of art history, history, and adjacent fields from both a historical and a contemporary perspective.
The Minor program Italian Art & History, hosted and financed by the Dutch University Institute for Art History (NIKI) in Florence and the Royal Netherlands Institute (KNIR) in Rome, offers the opportunity to do so to a group of motivated students from Dutch universities, allowing them to work with a large variety of methodologies in order to understand present-day Italy through its historical developments, as well as stimulating them to critically assess their disciplinary orientation in a cross-disciplinary context.
What distinguishes this Minor is the on-site teaching, where students are invited to always consider the first-hand observation of objects, locations, and social contexts. In all its courses, students are trained in documenting and analyzing visual sources, material culture and performative practics in the Florentine and Roman contexts. The program runs during the first semester. From late August until Christmas, students will stay two months at the NIKI in Florence and two months at the KNIR in Rome. The Minor is concluded with a final essay written in January under the supervision of one of the teachers.
The five courses that make up the Minor Italian Art & History in 2025-2026 are:
Italian Language: Reading Practicum
The goal of this course is to provide the student with the necessary tools to comprehend and analyze Italian texts, with particular focus on (art)historical literature.
The Invention of TIme: The Renaissance, Ideas and Images of Periodization
This course retraces the modern concept of time as a discontinuous process in (art) history, with periods of splendor and decay, from its origins in Renaissance Florence until today.
Italian Worlds of Knowledge: Academies, Universities and Courts (1400-1700)
With its rich art collections, libraries, design industry, Italy still represents the world of knowledge par excellence. In this course we will explore the what, how and why of the paradigmatic Italian and especially Florentine world of knowledge in its heydays. This course concentrates on the methods developed to record, deepen and transmit scientific knowledge.
Fascism and Anti-Fascism in Rome: History, Legacy, and Cultural Memories
Combining (art) history, heritage, and memory studies, the course aims to explore in situ the history and legacy of fascism and anti-fascism in Rome.
Artists in Residence in Rome (1500-2025)
For centuries a sojourn in Rome was considered an essential part of artistic training. In this course, we delve into questions such as what moved these artists to come to Rome, what they did once there, and how their stay in te Eternal City influenced their works.
Credits and assessment
This minor comprises 30 ECTS and consists of 6 components: 4 seminars of 6 EC each, one Italian language course of 3 EC, and one final paper of 3 EC (to be written in January, following the stay in Florence and Rome).
Costs
Tuition and lodging in Florence and Rome at the NIKI and the KNIR is free for selected participants from the above-mentioned Dutch universities. Personal expenses, including meals, are not included. Students receive a max. of €100 reimbursement of their expenses for travelling to Florence (max. €125 if the complete trip has been made by train) and from Rome after submission of their final essay; also the transportation from Florence to Rome is covered by the two institutes.
Facilities in Rome and Florence
All participants will be housed at the Dutch University Institute for Art History in Florence, and Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome respectively. From both institutes it is only a short walk to the historical city centers. The NIKI and KNIR accommodation consists of shared bedrooms and bathrooms, and includes a living and dining space, a kitchen, washing machine and wireless internet. All residents have 24/7 access to the library and gardens of both institutes.
More info
E-mail: secretary@knir.it
Phone: (+39)063269621
This minor is organized in collaboration with:
