Education
The purpposeof the educational component of this chair is to transfer the developments in imaging technology to the field of art history and conservation. In particular a course entitled 'innovative imaging techniques for conservation' will be lectured at the Master students in Conservation-Restoration of the University of Antwerp. The students will be informed of the existence and potential of new technologies for non-destructive imaging. This is a theoretical course of 6 credits (i.e. 36 hours of lecture) during which the underlying principles of several recently improved or developed imaging methods are explained. A syllabus is provided. In this way the new generation of conservators will be up to date on this topic when entering the field of action, making them more competitive with respect to their European counterparts.
In addition to that, a course entitled 'Materials and Degradation' is lectured to the Master students of Heritage Studies (Erfgoedstudies) of the University of Antwerp. In this course (3 credits - 24 hours of lecture) a typical technical research methodology is imparted to the students. Although this course is more general, special attention will be given to innovative imaging techniques. In this way, the additional funds acquired through the chair will be employed to significantly increase the quality of education of the future care-takers of our cultural heritage. Each year, the interns of the KIK-IRPA are invited to take part in the courses, free of charges. Finally, guest lectures are given to the students conservation of La Cambre in Brussels.
The chair will also contribute to the training of art historians in Belgium as the aspect of 'technical art history' occupies an increasingly important position in exhibition and studies of important artists. For that reason guest lectures are given to Master students of the Catholic University of Leuven (Department of Art History, Faculty of Arts and Sciences) and the Université Libre de Bruxelles.