Committee on Art Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences

The Committee on Art Sciences was first established in 1960 as a result of the transformation of the Committee on Art History and Theory of the Polish Academy of Sciences, which had existed since 1952. In accordance with the concepts of its first chairman, Prof. Juliusz Starzyński (who held this position from 1960 to 1972), it was intended to be a platform connecting representatives of art history, musicology, theatre studies, and later also film studies and conservation (as a scientific discipline). Following the latest revision of the list of scientific fields and disciplines, the Committee now consists of scholars representing the first four specialities, as conservation has been assigned to the field of art. Between 1972 and 1988, the Committee was chaired by the world-renowned art historian Prof. Jan Białostocki, and it was during his tenure that the Committee was most active, being at that time virtually the only nationwide platform for scientific exchange, apart from the Association of Art Historians. At that time, not only expert activities were carried out, but also important national and international scientific sessions and lectures by researchers from all over the country were organised.