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1 San José State University ARTH 272 (Seminar in Renaissance Art), Section 01, Fall 2016 The Shuffle of Things : History, Method and Practice of Collecting Instructor: Dr. Christy Junkerman Office Location: Art 117 Telephone: (408) Office Hours: Class Days/Time: christy.junkerman@sjsu.edu or acjunkerman@sbcglobal.net T: 2 3 p.m., W 12:00 1:00 p.m. or by appointment. Tuesdays, 3:00 5:45 p.m. Classroom: Art 110 Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor Department Office: ART 116 Department Contact: Website: art@sjsu.edu Course Description Stimulated by the new prominence of two significant art collections in the Bay Area, the Anderson Collection and the Cantor Center at Stanford and the Fisher Collection in the new addition to SFMOMA, this seminar will take up the important topic of collecting, a practice that has roots in the ancient world, but begins to flourish in the Renaissance. The causes are, of course, complex, but in general, periods of economic prosperity, the development of long distance trade, the discovery of new lands, the growth of cities and of aristocratic courts lead (among many other things) to an increased cultural value placed on the possession of worldly goods. Collections serve many functions for example, as sites of knowledge production, embodiments of meaning, important stimuli to the arts, as well as sources of prestige and display. Together, in readings and class discussion, we will develop a foundation both by working from a methodological standpoint with the aid of anthropologists and by studying collecting practices across a range of time periods from the kunstkammers of Renaissance scholars and rulers, to the vast royal collections of the 17 th and 18 th centuries and the collections of newly wealthy Americans, many of whom were women, in the 19 th C. We will consider the rise of the art market and dealers as well as collectors. We will be attentive to changes in key works that we too often take for granted ( art and culture, for example). At the same time, students will be encouraged to pursue research on collecting topics that align with their own field of interest. This is a topic that can lead in many directions and our reading will both cross disciplinary lines and engage us in several periods and locations of western art history. This will be challenging but will give FALL 2016 Page 1 of 5

2 us a particular opportunity to work on reading and analytical skills as well as the research skills that are part of all seminar experiences. We will plan a session with the Art Reference Librarian, Rebecca Kohn, and a field trip to Stanford to visit the new Anderson Collection and the Stanford Collection in the Cantor Center. Course Learning Outcomes Nothing of importance that we do in a humanities seminar leads to specifically measurable outcomes, but students in this course should develop: (CLO 1) a new level of skill and experience in the methods of art history research; (CLO 2) an increase in ability to analyze complex scholarly arguments; (CLO 3) a more confident professional and scholarly vocabulary; (CLO 4) and will participate in the ongoing, life long process of improving communication skills, both oral and written. Required Texts/Readings Textbook There is no textbook for this course, but readings will be made available on the course website. Here are the full citations are in order of assignment see the schedule below for dates. Susan Pearce, On Collecting: An Investigation into Collecting in the European Tradition, London and New York: Routledge, 1995, pages John Elsner and Roger Cardinal, Introduction, The Cultures of Collecting, London: Reaktion Books, 1994, pages 1 6. Susan Pearce, The Urge to Collect, in Interpreting Objects and Collections, ed. Susan Pearce, London and New York: Routledge, 1994, pages James Clifford, The Predicament of Culture: Twentieth Century Ethnography, Literature and Art, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, MA and London, Chapter 9: Histories of the Tribal and the Modern, and Chapter 10: On Collecting Art and Culture, pages Arjun Appadurai, Introduction: commodities and the politics of value, The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective,: Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1986, pages Mark A. Meadow, Merchants and Marvels: Hans Jacob Fugger and the Origins of the Wunderkammer, Merchants and Marvels: Commerce, Art and Science in Early Modern Europe, eds. Pamela H. Smith and Paula Findlen, London: Routledge, 2002, FALL 2016 Page 2 of 5

3 Paula Findlen, Possessing the Past: The Material World of the Italian Renaissance, American Historical Review, Volume 103, February, 1998, Valerie Taylor, Banquet Plate and Renaissance Culture: A Day in the Life, The Biography of the Object in Late Medieval and Renaissance Italy, (Special Issue of Renaissance Studies), London: Blackwell, 2005, Mari Tere Alvarez, Artistic Enterprise and Spanish Patronage: The Art Market during the Reign of Isabel of Castile, Art Markets in Europe, , ed. Michael North and David Omrod, Aldershott and Brookfield, VT: Ashgate, 1988, pages Guido Guerzoni, The Italian Renaissance Courts Demand for the Arts: The Case of the d Este of Ferrara ( ), Art Markets in Europe, , ed. Michael North and David Omrod, Aldershott and Brookfield, VT Ashgate, 1988, pages Ziskin, Rochelle, Sheltering Art: Collecting and Social Identity in Early Eighteenth Century Paris, Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012, pages 1 3, 10 32, and James Stourton, The Revolving Door: Four Centuries of British Collecting, British Models of Art Collecting and the American Response, Inge Reist, ed., Aldershott and Brookfield, VT Ashgate, 2014, Diane Sachko Macleod, Art and Activism, Enchanted Lives, Enchanted Objects: American Women Collectors and the Making of Culture, , University of California Press: Berkeley and Lost Angeles, 2008, A Life of Collecting: Victor and Sally Ganz, Michael Fitzgerald, ed., New York: Christie s, [Introduction (pages 8 25) and article by Leo Steinberg, pages 64 67] Library Liaison Monika Lehman (monika.lehman@sjsu.edu), Tel: (408) Website: Course Requirements and Assignments Work for the course will involve readings for class discussions (CLO 2, 3, 4), in class presentations (CLO 1 AND 4), a short paper early in the course and a longer research project due at the end of the semester (CLO 1 4). Students will also be required to keep a reading journal with tasks assigned specific to the readings and a vocabulary list (CLO 2 4). FALL 2016 Page 3 of 5

4 Final Examination or Evaluation Students will present their research results orally and in written form on the day of the final exam. Grading Information Written work will account for 60 % of the grade and will be evaluated according to a rubric based on the quality of research (35 %), the quality of analysis (35%) and the quality of the writing (30%). Presentations will account for 20% of the grade and will be evaluated on the basis of communication skills (50%) and visual material (the Powerpoint) (50%). The remaining 20% of the grade will be based on class participation and the reading journal. There is no extra credit for this course. If it is absolutely necessary for you to miss a class, you must notify me prior to the class meeting. Absences in a class that meets just once a week will be severely frowned upon! Similarly, if you must turn an assignment in late, you need to notify me before the due date and your grade will not be affected. You cannot pass the course without completing all the requirements. Classroom Protocol This is a class designed to prepare you for professional work in the field and your classroom behavior should accord with that. You need to be on time, well prepared and ready for discussion with digital devices put away. University Policies Per University Policy S16 9, university wide policy information relevant to all courses, such as academic integrity, accommodations, etc. will be available on Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs Syllabus Information web page at FALL 2016 Page 4 of 5

5 Art History 272: Fall, 2016 Course Schedule This schedule is subject to change as need or opportunity arises. We will stay in close touch throughout the semester on a class and any changes will be announced with fair notice both in class and by . New readings may be added and will be provided on the course website. Course Schedule Week Date Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines 1 August 30 Introduction 2 Sept. 6 The Poetics of Collecting: The Collection of a Non Collector Read: Susan Pearce, On Collecting, pages John Elsner and Roger Cardinal, Introduction, The Cultures of Collecting, Sept. 13 Short Set up Presentations of Images about Collecting 4 Sept. 20 Anthropologists Weigh In Read Clifford, Predicament of Culture, Chapter 9 and 10 Appadurai, The Social Life of Things 5 Sept. 27 The Renaissance Background: The Kunstkammer and The shuffle of things Read: Meadow, Merchants and Marvels 6 October 4 The Renaissance Background: Italy Read: Findlen, Possessing the Past Taylor, Banquet Plate 7 October 11 Session with Art Reference Librarian 8 October 18 The Renaissance Background: Italy and Spain Read: Guido Guerzoni, The Italian Renaissance Courts Demand for the Arts and Mari Tere Alvarez Artistic Enterprise and Spanish Patronage: 9 October 25 Art Collecting in 18 th Century France Read: Ziskin, Sheltering Art 10 Nov. 1 Art Collecting in Britain Read: Stourton, The Revolving Door 11 Nov. 8 First Presentations of Research 12 Nov. 15 Field Trip to Stanford 13 Nov. 22 American Collectors Read: Macleod, Art and Activism 14 Nov th C American Collectors Read: Selections from A Life of CollectingVictor and Sally Ganz 15 Dec. 6 Final Presentations Final Exam * Tuesday, December 20, 2:45 5:00 Final Presentations FALL 2016 Page 5 of 5