Organized by Takuma Ito (Kyushu University, Japan) and Michael Kwakkelstein.

Details on the program and registration will be available soon.

This conference explores how artistic expression and geographical awareness intersected in late fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Italy, a time of increasing artistic individualism and mobility. Movements of artists and artworks, whether from neighbouring regions or distant lands, could profoundly reshape local artistic landscapes, prompting resident practitioners to adapt in order to maintain their relevance. Some actively embraced this mobility, exporting their works or relocating to places where their practice could resonate with different patrons and settings.

The deliberate choices made by both local and travelling artists reflect the complex networks they navigated, including systems of patronage, professional opportunities, and collaborative practices. How, then, were these mobilities reflected in their creative output? Discussions of artists’ strategies often transcend traditional art-historical categories represented by regional schools or period styles. Instead, recent scholarship has emphasised concepts such as the “business” or “geopolitics” of art, highlighting the artists’ proactive and entrepreneurial approaches, shaped by the need to adapt, compete, and succeed within increasingly demanding and interconnected art markets.

The conference focuses on the active role artists played in shaping the Renaissance as a transregional phenomenon drawing on diverse and heterogeneous sources. It also seeks to position Renaissance art studies within the broader context of the recent global turn in the discipline. Seen from Italy, the Renaissance was a period of ever-widening geographical horizons, and artistic centres such as Florence and Rome served as major cross-cultural hubs. Through a series of presentations and discussions, we will explore themes including the motivations behind their journeys, the interactions between local artists and imported artworks, and the adoption of new techniques and materials across various cities and regions.