"Mobilizing Heritage" with L'Institut National de l'Histoire de l'Art

Tuesday, 22 September 2021
Arles and Paris

"While the decision was made to rebuild Notre-Dame de Paris à l’identique ('as it was'), numerous statues were being removed from public spaces. Our relationship to the very idea of heritage seems, more than ever, to be marked by a profound contradiction."

Matthieu Leglise, Head of Cultural Development and Scientific Assistant to the General Directorate, French National Institute of Art History (INHA)

For the fourth edition of the LUMA Days, the French National Institute of Art History (INHA) partnered with LUMA Arles for a half-day of talks and discussions dedicated to the theme of heritage. Entitled "Mobilizing Heritage," the conference offered a shared opportunity to reflect on this evolving concept.

Fifteen years after the adoption of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (the Faro Convention, 2005), this conference, initiated by INHA in collaboration with LUMA Arles, brought together researchers, academics, and art historians to examine the issues shaping our understanding of what we call "heritage" today.

What is heritage? Why has it become increasingly important? How do we define it today?

Speakers and topics

Éric de Chassey
Director of the French National Institute of Art History (INHA) and Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art History at the École normale supérieure de Lyon.
Introduction: "Mobilizing Heritage"

Gabriele Dolff-Bonekämper
Professor of Urban Heritage Conservation at the Technische Universität Berlin.
Talk: "Cultural Rights and the Social Frameworks of Heritage"

Michael Lucken
Professor of Japanese History at the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Inalco) and Director of the French Research Institute on East Asia (IFRAE).
Talk: "A Mirage and Ink: From Ancient Greece to Contemporary Japan"

Kavita Singh
Professor of the History of Indian Painting and of Museum History and Policy at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Talk: "Heritage / Possession"

Pierre Wat
Professor of Art History at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University.
Talk: "Heritage at Its Borders"

Conference language
The conference is held in French, with the exception of Kavita Singh's presentation, which is delivered in English.