Art History Institute (IHA)

The IHA is a R&D unit created in 1997 and hosted by NOVA FCSH, which positions Art History and Artistic Studies as fundamental fields of knowledge within the Humanities, encompassing the study of visual and material culture from different chronologies and geographies, and contemporary artistic practices. It fosters collaborative, interdisciplinary and cross-institutional research, engaging with current debates shaped by social concerns, such as Eurocentric narratives and the effect of gender and decolonial perspectives upon them; the revision of high/low value judgements and centre/periphery divides; the uses of the artistic past; the problematisation of art-historical terminology; philosophy and theory of art; conservation and curatorial practices; exhibitions and art criticism, the re-reading of the concept of modernism; the tensions between art and politics, or the challenges posed by urban regeneration and heritage.

The IHA is a reference centre in research on Portuguese art history from a supranational perspective, entwining it with broader art historical questions and interrogating Portuguese historical relations on a global scale. It develops high-standard basic and applied research in collaboration with undergraduate, postgraduate, master’s, and doctoral programmes; it supports and fosters scientific employment, and offers advanced research-training opportunities for students. Its strategic plan responds to EU Research Agendas and the societal challenges identified in the Horizon Europe programme, as well as to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This alignment is achieved through the development of research projects and partnerships spanning from cultural tourism, museums and monuments, the regeneration of historic centres and the use of digital humanities methodologies and tools, to curatorial projects, pedagogical initiatives, and creative forms of communication aimed at disseminating scientific knowledge to wider audiences.

Awarded the highest classification (Excellent) in the most recent international evaluation conducted by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and technology (FCT), in 2025, the IHA is one of the R&D units integrating the Associate Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Heritage, Arts, Sustainability and Territory — IN2PAST. It is also a full member of RIHA — The International Association of Research Institutes in the History of Art, and publishes the open-access journal Revista de História da Arte (indexed in ERIH PLUS and DOAJ).

With a team of researchers from various universities and cultural institutions who are integrated into international research networks, the IHA is organised into five Research Groups (RGs):

• Pre-Modern: Pre-Modern Visual and Material Cultures
• LxSt: Lisbon Studies
• CASt: Contemporary Art Studies
• MuSt: Museum StudiesArt
• THC: Art Theory, Historiography and Criticism

Oriented towards research projects at multiple scales (from seed-projects to competitive international funding applications), the IHA also hosts Clusters as platforms designed to foster innovative external collaborations in specific research fields, while advancing multidisciplinary approaches that engage with the broader dynamics of culture and civil society.