University of Toronto-France Art History Partnership

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Cross-cultural dialogue is fundamental to the study of art history. In 2022, the Department of Art History launched a major partnership with French universities to support academic exchange at all levels, supported by a generous philanthropic gift. With a rich tradition of art history scholarship, France continues to be at the forefront of current research in the discipline. The University of Toronto has been a centre for teaching and scholarship on French culture for over 150 years. The France Art History partnership reflects the University of Toronto’s continuing mission to provide students with a globally relevant education, enhance existing collaborations, and create new scholarly opportunities.
 

Undergraduate Scholarships

These scholarships support academic experiences that immerse students in French language, history, culture, art, and architecture.

The department’s summer abroad courses, led by U of T faculty members, enable students to study French art and architecture in person with their travel expenses covered. Students interact with local experts, gain exposure to French (one of Canada’s official languages), and build a strong foundation for future engagement with French art history.
 

Cohen Abroad Image Collage
Studies Abroad in Medieval Art and Architecture (FAH392Y0-F) in western France, taught by Prof. Adam Cohen, summer 2023
 
International Doctoral Cluster
 

The Department’s international doctoral cluster, entitled “A Plural Art History for the 21st Century,” is a formal academic training agreement with the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes and the Sorbonne University, both in Paris. This IDC opens new lines of graduate inquiry in art history, connects emerging researchers with an international network of mentors, and supports Ph.D. students’ research travel in France. Each year, five doctoral students, split between France and U of T, are selected to participate in this prestigious scholarly exchange.

Current students participating in this IDC:

  • Hector Chapron (Sorbonne Université), « La mode des bustes antiques comme objets de décor : itinéraire commercial, circulation et critères de sélection des acheteurs selon l’évolution des goûts dans l’Europe de 1515 à 1830 » / “The fashion for antique busts as decorative objects: commercial route, circulation and buyer selection criteria according to the evolution of tastes in Europe from 1515 to 1830”
  • Thibaud Hébert (Sorbonne Université) : « Du patrimoine didactique à l’archéologie des maquettes » / “From educational heritage to the archaeology of models”
  • Philomène Renard (École Pratique des Hautes Études) : « Giovanni Bellini (vers 1430-1516) et son atelier : recherches sur l'organisation du travail, la technique et la matérialité » / “Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430–1516) and his workshop: research on the organisation of work, the technique and the materiality”
  • Nicole Liao (University of Toronto), "Mimetic Colour Technologies before the Lumiere Autochrome" (2023)
  • Benjamin Pulver (University of Toronto), "To Err is Human: Morality and Desire in French Art of the 'Long Digital Age'" (2023)
  • Ivana Dizdar (University of Toronto), "Representations of the Arctic in French Nineteenth-Century Visual Culture" (2023)
     
Images of French Visiting IDC students
French IDC visiting students present their research to the Department of Art History at an event in November, 2023.

 

Postdoctoral Fellowships

The University of Toronto is excited to welcome postdoctoral fellow Pierre Marty. A specialist in the social art history of provincial France, Dr. Marty is currently researching the circulation of technical knowledge in French drawing academies in the early modern period. He also has experience managing research grants and projects. As part of his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto, Marty assists in developing cross-cultural opportunities and managing the exchanges with France.

 

Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunities for Graduates from France

For more information about the postdoctoral fellowship program, including application instructions and current deadlines, please download this document (PDF iconUofT France Postdoctoral Fellowship 2024-2026.pdf) or see the sections below:
 

The Department of Art History at the University of Toronto offers a postdoctoral fellowship to graduates from France. The fellowship will be awarded for two years starting in September 2024. The post-doctoral position comes with an annual salary of $ 60,000 all inclusive. The aim of this fellowship is to advance meaningful cross-cultural art historical exchanges between Canada and France and to strengthen national and international cultural ecosystems. The successful post-doctoral fellow will play a critical role in implementing the objectives of this initiative.

The fellow is expected to be in residence in Toronto and will carry on a research project in their own area of French art and visual culture. They will also work with the University of Toronto staff to develop cross-cultural exchanges with French institutions. In particular the fellow:

• will assist in the management of the program of cross-cultural exchanges (Visiting Professorships and the International Doctoral Cluster);

• will promote student exchange opportunities and other connections between France and Canada;

• will help in creating opportunities for Canadian undergraduate, M.A. and Ph.D. students to develop new and deeper ties with scholars and institutions in France.

Applicants must hold a degree from a French university and must have defended their Ph.D. thesis before the start of the fellowship in September 2024 but no more than five years prior to this time. The successful candidate must demonstrate a strong research agenda and have an established record of collaborations with French institutions. The candidate should be fluent in English and French.

The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual and gender minority groups, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. Engagement as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto is covered by the terms of the CUPE 3902 Unit 5 Collective Agreement.

Candidates should submit the following documents compiled into a single file to art.chair@utoronto.ca:

1) Letter of interest;

2) Curriculum vitae;

3) Project proposal (maximum 2 pages excluding bibliography);

4) Research sample (chapter of the Ph.D. thesis) or published contribution;

5) Two letters of reference (to be included in the application package);

6) 100-word research description;

7) 100-word biographical statement.

Complete applications must be submitted by April 30, 2024 to be considered. Questions can be addressed to art.chair@utoronto.ca

Visiting Professorships

The Department of Art History regularly hosts art historians from France and arranges for University of Toronto faculty to visit French universities. Exchange faculty participate in seminars, workshops, and research activities at their host institutions and immerse themselves in the Department’s activities. In the process, they help build lasting academic relationships with international colleagues and universities. 

French scholars who come to the University of Toronto as visiting professors have access to a wealth of academic resources. The Graduate Department of Art History is home to twenty-five full-time faculty members with an extraordinary range of expertise. Our research facilities include one of North America’s most extensive library collections. Alongside the department’s vibrant intellectual life, scholars may participate in the university’s other academic centres, including the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, the Centre for Medieval Studies, the Archaeology Centre, the Jackman Humanities Institute, and the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. Toronto is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world and the home of institutions such as the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Image Centre. It also offers convenient access to Ottawa, Montreal, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls.

 

Visiting Lectures

Adam Cohen Headshot

June 23, 2023: Adam Cohen (University of Toronto), "Hebrew and French: The Getty Museum's Rothschild Pentateuch," Centre d'Études supérieures de civilisation médiévale, University of Poitiers

May 23, 2023: Nathalie Ginoux (Sorbonne Université), "Protohistoric Art in Debate: The Case of Ancient Celtic Art," University of Toronto Department of Art History

May 23, 2023: Laurent Olivier (Musée d'Archéologie nationale, Saint-Germain-en-Laye), "The Visuality of Early Celtic Art: For and Archaeology of Images," University of Toronto Department of Art History

Hochmann Headshot

February 13, 2023: Michel Hochmann (École Pratique des Hautes Études), “The Venetian Painter’s Studio in the 16th Century,” University of Toronto Department of Art History.

Guillouet Headshot

October 26, 2022: Jean-Marie Guillouët (University of Burgundy), “Hyper-Technical Gothic? A Micro-History of Late Medieval Craftsmanship (ca. 1400-1530),” University of Toronto

Ricco Headshot

October 17, 2022: John Ricco (University of Toronto), “Bersani’s Incongruous Sociality,” Laboratoire de Recherche sur les Cultures Anglophones (LARCA), University of Paris-Cité.