Milan Pelc, PhD, research adviser

Director of the Institute of Art History
Ulica grada Vukovara 68/III, Zagreb
mpelc@ipu.hr
www.ipu.hr

Research interests

His scientific research is mostly focused on the areas of European and Croatian prints and book illustrations during the early modern period (1400 – 1700), Croatian prints in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, Renaissance in Croatia and Europe, History and Theory of Art History, and the history of books and visual media.

Professional background

From January 2003 to date: Director of the Institute for the History of Art, Zagreb
From September 1984 to June 1985: a visual arts teacher at the 8^th May Centre for Occupationally-Oriented Education, Zagreb and a German language teacher at the Foreign Language Learning Centre, Vodnikova 12, Zagreb
From June 1985 to the end of 1988: employed as a librarian (he passed the qualifying examination for librarian in October 1987) at the Department of Old and Rare Books and Manuscripts, National and University Library, Zagreb
From 1 January 1989 to 28 February 1993: employed as a research assistant at the Department of Art History, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Zagreb
1 March 1993: transfer to the Institute for the History of Art, Zagreb, rank of research associate
30 December 1998: appointed to the rank of senior research associate
17 December 2002: appointed to the rank of research adviser
3 June 2000: appointed to the titular rank of assistant professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Zagreb
11 October 2007: appointed to the research and academic rank of associate professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Zagreb
From 1998 to 2004: he gave lectures at the Department of Information Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Zagreb, for courses The History of Information Culture and Graphic Arts as an Information Medium
From 2000 to 2010: he delivered lectures for the course Theory of Visual Arts, Department of Art History, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Zagreb
From 2003 to 2013: he gave lectures for the course Visual Culture in the study programme of design, Faculty of Architecture, Zagreb
From 1999 to date: active as a mentor, co-mentor and lecturer in the postgraduate (doctoral) study programme of art history, Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences, Universities of Zagreb and Zadar

Academic background

8 October 1992: PhD degree from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb on the topic of: On life and works of Martin Rota Kolunić, a 16^th century engraver from Šibenik (Život i djela šibenskog bakroresca Martina Rote Kolunića (oko 1540.-1583.)
1988: Master’s degree from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Zagreb; Master’s thesis on the topic of: llustrations in Croatian Protestant Volumes Printed in Urach (Ilustracije hrvatskih protestantskih knjiga tisaknih u Urachu 1561.-1565.)
1984: Bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, the first A major: German Language and Literature, the second A major: Art History

Research projects

Project leadership

2000 – 2002: Croatian-Slovenian Bilateral Project: Common topics in visual arts
2004 – 2006: Croatian-Slovenian Bilateral Project: Valvasor’s Collection of Graphic Arts between Ljubljana and Zagreb
2002 – 2006: Visual Communications – History and Theory, funded by MSES
2007 – 2013: Pannonian Renaissance and Ghotic Tradition in Northern and Littoral Croatia, funded by MSES
2014 – 2018: Visual Arts and Communication of Power in the Early Modern Period (1450–1800): Historical Croatian Regions at the Crossroads of Central Europe and the Mediterranean, funded by the Croatian Science Foundation

International project collaboration

2003 – 2008: Iconotheca Valvasoriana, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana
2008 – 2012: Europa Iagellonica, international project and exhibition in Kutná Hora, Warsaw and Potsdam, organised by: Geistestwissenschaftliches Zentrum Geschichte und Kultur Ostmitteleuropas an der Universität Leipzig
2014 – 2018: Höfe des Klerus und der Magnaten – geistliche und weltliche Fürsten an Herrscherhöfen. Eigenständigkeit, Abhängigkeiten, Beziehungsgeflechte (project leader: Prof. Jiři Fajt, PhD): Geistestwissenschaftliches Zentrum Geschichte und Kultur Ostmitteleuropas an der Universität Leipzig

Activities

His activities include translating various books and articles on Art History by German authors into Croatian.
He has held series of lectures in Croatia and abroad, as well as at numerous national and international scientific and academic conferences. He also organised several exhibitions of Croatian historical graphics.

Exhibition organisation and authorship

1997. Portret u ranoj hrvatskoj grafici, Galerija Ulrich, Zagreb
1997. Krajolik u ranoj hrvatskoj grafici, Galerija Ulrich, Zagreb
1997. Juraj Julije Klović u grafici / Prints after Gulio Clovio, Kabinet grafike Hrvatske Akademije znanosti i umjetnosti – Strossmayerova galerija, Zagreb
1998. Grad u ranoj hrvatskoj grafici, Galerija Ulrich, Zagreb
2002. Vladimir Kirin, rani crteži i grafika (1907.-1925.) iz zbirke dr. Josipa Kovačića, Galerija Ulrich, Zagreb
2003. Martin Rota Kolunić – Natale Bonifacio, djela u hrvatskim zbirkama, Kabinet grafike Hrvatske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti, Zagreb

Collaborator

2000. Historicizam u Hrvatskoj, Muzej za umjetnost i obrt, Zagreb
2004. La Renaissace en Croatie Pariz (Ecouen) – Galerija Klovićevi dvori, Zagreb,
2009. Slavonija, Baranja i Srijem, vrela europske civilizacije, Galerija Klovićevi dvori, Zagreb
2012. Julije Klović najveći minijaturist renesanse / Julio Clovio the greatest miniaturist of the Renaissance, Galerija Klovićevi dvori, Zagreb
2012./2013. Europa Iagellonica. Kunst und Kultur Mitteleuropas unter der Herrschaft der Jagellonen 1386-1572, Kutna Hora, Varšava, Potsdam

Awards and distinctions

He was awarded three fellowships by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, first in 1994 – 1995 at the University of Tübingen, then in 2005 and again in 2008 and 2014 at the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich.
He spent some time as a fellow of the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel on several occasions, and he has also made study visits to Paris, London, Florence and Vienna.

Awards

1999: National Science Award of the Republic of Croatia
2008: “Radovan Ivančević” Award of the Croatian Society of Art Historians for the book Renesansa; “Oton Kučera” Award of the Central Croatian Cultural and Publishing Society; “Josip Juraj Strossmayer” Award of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts; “Kiklop” Award of the Pula Festival of Books and Authors

Scholarships

He received the following scholarships for Germany, Austria and France:

From 1 October 1987 to 31 December 1988: University of Tübingen, where he studied history of graphic arts and book illustrations during Reformation and Counter Reformation periods (DAAD scholarship)
From 1 April 1994 to 30 September 1995: University of Tübingen, Paris and Vienna, as a fellow of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The topic of research: history of graphic arts and graphic portraits in the period of Renaissance
From 1 August 1996 to 31 October 1996, from 1 June 1997 to 31 July 1997, from 1 June 1998 to 31 July 1998, from 1 June 2002 to 31 July 2002 and from 1 to 30 May 2004: in Wolfenbüttel as a fellow of Herzog August Bibliothek. The topic of research: portraits in the Renaissance printed book, graphic arts as an information medium, illustrated leaflets in Valvasor’s Collection of Graphic Arts, Archdiocese of Zagreb
From 1 October to 31 December 2005: fellow of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte, Munich
From 1 October to 31 December 2008: fellow of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte, Munich
From 1 May to 31 July 2014: fellow of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschicht, Munich. Topic of research: graphic arts, miniature and communication in the Early Modern Age

Memberships

Distinguished member of the international editorial boards of a Slovenian illustrated scholarly journal Acta Historiae Artis Slovenica (Ljubljana), and ARS (Bratislava), the journal of Institute of Art History of Slovak Academy of Sciences.
From 2000 to 2002: member of the Regional Scientific Council for Humanities, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports
From 2004 to 2012: member of the Croatian Council for Cultural Goods, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia
Since 2004: member of the Commission for Scientific Conferences and Associations, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports
Since 2013: member of the Management Board of the Croatian Humboldt Club
Since 2014: member of the Supervisory Board of the Croatian Society of Art Historians
Since 2015: member of the Scientific Committee of the Scientific Centre of Excellence for Croatian Glagolitism
Member of the Croatian Cartographic Society
Member of the Croatian Library Association

Editorial Boards

Since 1995: editor of Mala biblioteka Instituta za povijest umjetnosti, series Teorija umjetnosti (A Small Library by the Institute of Art History) comprising a number of Theories of Art)
Since 1999: member of the International Council of Acta historiae artis slovenica scientific journal, Ljubljana
From 1994 to 2000: member of the Editorial Board of Život umjetnosti professional journal, Zagreb
Since 2002: member of the Editorial Board of Radovi Instituta za povijest umjetnosti scientific journal
Since 2004: member of the Editorial Board of Quartal professional journal
Since 2007: member of the International Council of ARS journal (Bratislava)
Subject editor (Renaissance, Mannerism) in: Likovni leksikon, Zagreb, 2014

Organisation of larger scientific conferences

Zagreb, October 1998: Miniature – Drawing – Graphic Art Prints 1450–1700, International scientific conference on the Occasion of the 500^th Anniversary of Birth of Julije Klović
Zagreb, November 2001: The First Congress of Croatian Art Historians
Zagreb, April 2006: The Second Congress of Croatian Art Historians
Split, June 2013: International Scientific Conference Frontiers in East and South Central Europe
He has participated with his talks in more than 40 national and international scientific conferences.

Bibliography

CROSBI: bib.irb.hr