Institute of Art Polish Academy of Science

The Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IS PAN) is the only scientific institution in Poland where the discipline of art studies is represented in its entirety. It includes art history, musicology, theater studies, and film studies. The subject of research is Polish art (painting, sculpture, architecture, arts and crafts, artistic and folk music, theater, film) in a European context.

Areas:

of fine arts studies

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Working on a historic negative. IS PAN has the largest collection of archival materials in the country and one of the largest in Europe. These materials are regularly digitized to make them accessible in digital form and to protect valuable historical items from damage.

The results of the research are published, among others, in highly regarded series published by the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences, such as “Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce” (Catalogue of Art Monuments in Poland), “Monumenta Musicae in Polonia” (Monumenta Musicae in Poland), “Polska Pieśń i Muzyka Ludowa” (Polish Folk Song and Music), “Słownik Artystów Polskich i w Polsce Działających” (Dictionary of Polish Artists and Artists Working in Poland), and “Biographical Dictionary of Polish Theater.” The Institute also publishes five academic quarterly journals: “Art History Bulletin,” “Contexts: Polish Folk Art,” “Film Quarterly,” “Music,” and “Theater Memoir.”

IS PAN employees are involved in promoting science in various ways. Here, dressed in historical costumes during the Festival at the Palace in Jabłonna, “Science with the Palace in the Background” (September 2021).

The extensive repositories of scientific documentation created at the Institute serve the scientific community in Poland and abroad, cultural institutions, and individual recipients. The Photographic and Measurement Drawings Collection contains photographs of architectural objects, sculptures, paintings, and artistic crafts, as well as architectural drawings from the 18th century onwards. The Phonographic Collection contains the oldest and largest collection of recordings of traditional Polish music. The Special Collections and Theater Documentation contain materials for research on the history of Polish artistic life in the 19th and 20th centuries, including historical theater posters, correspondence, memoirs, and interviews with artists.

Since 2015, IS PAN has been a member of the DARIAH.PL digital humanities consortium. The unit has the highest scientific category of A+.