Beyond the historiographical pantheon. Women and the Comité International d’Histoire de l’Art after 1945

Abstract

After World War II, the Comité International d’Histoire de l’Art (CIHA), an international NGO of art historians, resumed its scientific activity. Since the first post-war meeting, however, we found that all members were men: famous figures from the History of Art who made up the historiographical pantheon and built the twentieth-century Western art historiography. During the 1950s, the sole exception was Cécile Goldscheider, Rodin Museum curator, who attended the Bureau sessions and general assemblies as a secretary. There were other female researchers linked somehow to the CIHA, like those involved in the Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi project or those who participated in the International Congresses of Art History. Over time, women gained ground and joined the CIHA as full members. Else Kai Sass, Professor at Aarhus University, was first in 1964, followed by Anna Maria Brizio, Klára Garas, and Jean Sutherland Boggs. Until 1979, no woman entered the Bureau. The Mexican Beatriz de la Fuente starred in this milestone. Since the gender gap was a fact, the aim of this paper is to delve into the role and achievements of these female academics within the CIHA during the Cold War period.

Keywords

• comité international d’histoire de l’art
• ciha
• international ngos of scholars
• history of art history
• female scholars
• art historians
• cold war