ARDS. Association for Research and Documentation of medieval Sculpture

26/08/2026

Registration for CODARTfocus (24-25 November) is open! 🎉

Explore 'Burgundian Dining' in Museum Hof van Busleyden and 'Scultori Fiamminghi. Flemish Sculptors in Italy' in M Leuven. This special edition, organised in collaboration with ARDS, is also open to ARDS members.

More information and registration ⬇️
https://www.ards.be/agenda/00287

PS: The timing could not be better, as ARDS will host its 13th Annual Conference in Leuven on 26-27 November, immediately following CODARTfocus. Please note that the conference is a separate event and requires separate registration. The full programme and registration details will be available in early September 😉

📸 Egidio della Riviera (attributed to), Three Sleeping Putti © Galleria Borghese, photo: Luciano Romano.

11/08/2026

Two vacancies that may be of interest to our network:

🔹 Project Manager (Early Netherlandish Sculpture), RKD - Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis. Help build a digital corpus of Early Netherlandish sculpture within RKD Research. A collaborative project with M Leuven.

🔹 Curator of Sculpture, Rijksmuseum
Lead research, collection development, exhibitions, and public engagement for one of the world's foremost sculpture collections.

👉https://www.ards.be/

26/06/2026

The Burlington Magazine and University of Cambridge are happy to announce that the South Netherlandish Prize is open for entries.

Established to inspire the development and publication of innovative object- based scholarship, the winning entrant will receive a prize of £1,000, with publication in The Burlington Magazine’s annual issue dedicated to Northern European Art, plus a one-year print and digital subscription.

They seek previously unpublished essays of 1000–1500 words from early career scholars worldwide. This is defined as within 15 years of their most recent post-graduate degree. Submissions should be in English and should include candidate’s CV, all as a single PDF. Preference will be given to object-related scholarship such as is published in The Burlington Magazine.

Deadline for applications: Monday 1st September 2026.

https://www.ards.be/

05/06/2026

The Rubenshuis has opened its call for papers for “Many (More) Antwerp Hands: Collaborations Across Media, ca. 1500–1750,” with submissions due by 31 July 2026.

👉 https://www.ards.be/agenda/00286

31/03/2026

A position as Research Associate (wissenschaftliche:r Mitarbeiter:in) is currently open at the Skulpturensammlung and the Museum of Byzantine Art of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, which house major collections of European sculpture from the early Middle Ages to the late eighteenth century as well as leading holdings of Late Antique and Byzantine art. The role includes scholarly and curatorial responsibilities related to Early Modern sculpture.

More information:

zu besetzen. Die Skulpturensammlung und das Museum für Byzantinische Kunst (SBM) gehören zu den bedeutendsten Sammlungen ihrer Art. Die Skulpturensammlung zeigt Meisterwerke europäischer Plastik vom frühen Mittelalter bis zum ausgehenden 18. Jahrhundert. Das Museum für Byzantinische Kunst besit...

31/03/2026

Reminder: submit your papers for 'Innovative Research Tools and Methodologies for the Study of Medieval and Renaissance Sculpture' by 16 May!

Call for Papers! On 26 & 27 November we’re organising the 13th Annual Ards Conference in M Leuven, focusing on innovative research tools and methodologies for the study of medieval and Renaissance sculpture. Digital technologies, advanced imaging, and interdisciplinary approaches are transforming how we study sculpture: so we’re inviting scholars, conservators, technologists, and heritage professionals to submit their proposals. Deadline: 16 May. More information on www.ards.be

🤝 RKD - Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis

03/03/2026

Call for Papers! On 26 & 27 November we’re organising the 13th Annual Ards Conference in M Leuven, focusing on innovative research tools and methodologies for the study of medieval and Renaissance sculpture. Digital technologies, advanced imaging, and interdisciplinary approaches are transforming how we study sculpture: so we’re inviting scholars, conservators, technologists, and heritage professionals to submit their proposals. Deadline: 16 May. More information on www.ards.be

🤝 RKD - Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis

03/03/2026

Yesterday we organised a successful Ards Expert Meeting in Aachen. With around 60 specialists we explored the theme of moving sculptures, inspired by the exhibition ‘Praymobil. Medieval Artworks in Motion’ Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum. It was also a lovely reunion with ‘our’ Christ on the Cold Stone M Leuven😉 On view until 15 March!

21/11/2025

Registration is officially open for our Ards Expert Meeting on the exhibition ‘Praymobil. Medieval Artworks in Motion’ at the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum! Join us on 2 March in Aachen for a day of talks on the theme of moving medieval sculptures, followed by an exclusive after-hours visit to the exhibition 😍

https://www.ards.be/agenda/00279

📸Saint George, sixteenth century, Kerkfabriek Sint Jan de Doper, Schulen (Herk de Stad, Belgium), Photo: CC_BY KIK-IRPA, Brussels, KN 009598, Hervé Pigeolet, KIK.

02/10/2025

⭐ SAVE THE DATE ⭐ On 2 March 2026, we’re teaming up with the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum for a special Ards Expert Meeting. Expect inspiring lectures and an exclusive visit to the exhibition 'Praymobil. Medieval Artworks on the Move'. More details coming soon! https://www.ards.be/agenda/00279
📸 Palm Donkey, Southern Germany, c. 1500, Aachen, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Photo: Anne Gold.