Conference: Museums and (the loss of) the encyclopedic ideal
20 apr - 22 apr 2017Van 5:00 - 14:00uur
On April 20, 21 and 22 of this year, Teyler’s Museum in Haarlem shall be host to a two-day conference about museums and the loss of the encyclopedic ideal in the 19th and 20th centuries, taking its venue, a well-preserved 18th century museum as our point of reference.
About Teylers Museum
Today, Teyler’s Museum in Haarlem is one of the few public institutions in the world to display a wide variety of collections, including objects of both the arts and sciences, in its original building and original setting. Its roots lie in the last will of the wealthy Mennonite merchant and banker Pieter Teyler van der Hulst (1702-1778). In his testament Teyler had stipulated that a foundation was to be established which would employ his fortune to the support of theology on the one hand, and the arts and sciences on the other.
About the conference
The conference will deal with the question of how the relationship between science and religion, between the visual cultures of art and science, and between religion, ethics and aesthetics has changed over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, and how this affected each of these categories? How did such categories as ‘science’, ‘art’ and ‘the public’ emerge in this process? How did the universal scientist give way to the modern expert? How did research and pedagogy get disentangled? What meanings were attached to the word ‘museum’ and how did these change over time? To what extent can we speak of the creation of clear and meaningful boundaries in this process of differentiation and to what extent is the change merely cosmetic? And last but not least: do we witness a fading of such boundaries again today?
Programme
The conference is subdivided into 4 sessions:
- Teyler’s as a link in a international network, or ‘knowledge hub’.
- Physicotheology, bible criticism and the development of new scientific ideas.
- The waning of encyclopedism and the advent of specialised disciplines in a museum context.
- Fine art in a scientific museum – connections, tensions and possibilities.
The conference is to be opened on the evening of Thursday, April 20th, with a public lecture by Prof. Wijnand Mijnhardt (Utrecht). The next two days (Friday and Saturday, April 21st and 22nd) are devoted to the conference itself. Conference visitors will be offered a guided tour through the museum in the afternoon preceding Prof. Mijnhardt’s address on the 20th. Please consult this link for a more detailed description of the programme.
Conference fee
The regular fee for the conference is €50. Students can apply for a free ticket. To apply, please send an e-mail to Gerda Doorlag with a copy of your student card.
More information
You may address any questions to Ilja Nieuwland at Teyler’s Museum: inieuwland@teylersmuseum.nl; tel. 0031-623407807.