Translating the History of Art

The theme of translating art writing, often invoked in a cursory manner in various contexts, has never been examined in an analytical way, an approach that brings together the skills of translators, translation theorists and art historians. In the history of art, as well as in other disciplines, criticism regarding the inadequacies in translation is a topos that frequently arises, although the inevitable need for translation is generally recognized. To date, however, there is no systematic approach that allows us to trace historical and theoretical coordinates to study the role of translation in that particular domain of literature that consists of writings on art.

This workshop will bring together the point of view of translation studies, the editorial experience of the online journal Art in Translation, and the praxis of translating and interpreting art historical essays. Thanks to the analyses of some translations of art historical texts chronologically located between the eighteenth century and the present day, this study day aims to open a new critical discussion on the topic from an interdisciplinary perspective.