Wiener Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte, Band LXIII/LXIV

Starting from one of the largest ensembles of scholars monuments in the courtyard of the University of Vienna, this issue of the Wiener Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte is dedicated to the tradition of Gelehrtenmemoria (scholars memoria) in European comparison. This university hall of honor, which was conceived as a place of encounter with exemplary scientists, appears now as a logical consequence of enthusiasm for monuments in the 19th century. Indeed the amount of monuments in the courtyard increased steadily until the 1960s, and since then has continued to rise to its present total of more than 150 objects. Although the majority of the scholars busts and portrait reliefs adopts the standard forms of bourgeois representation, most show specific attributes and design features that distinguish them from other contemporary sculptural portraits. Despite the original prominence given to the courtyard as a pantheon of Viennese scholarship and the considerable number of well-known artists involved, the monuments created for this commemorative space had not previously been subjected to comprehensive art-historical investigation. This is a phenomenon that applies equally to the majority of European university halls of honor and professors monuments. This issue of the Wiener Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte and its authors strive to close this research gap. The 650th anniversary of the University of Vienna offered an opportunity to explore this lieu de mémoire with its portraits of scholars in an international comparison. The aim was to analyse comparatively ensembles of scholars monuments, both in their iconographic and historical contexts. This meant not only defining the different forms, but also questioning whether the sculptural portrait still constitutes an appropriate form of tribute for a scientist today. This question has become still more relevant since the Senate of the University of Vienna recently decided to compensate for the complete failure to honor successful female scientists and thus expand the ensemble with new memorials. This volume, which is edited by Ingeborg Schemper-Sparholz and her project team consisting of Martin Engel, Andrea Mayr and Julia Rüdiger, is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the University of Vienna and takes the monuments cultural and social context into consideration. The different authors approaches include the beginnings of scholars memoria in 18th-century Vienna, the baroque tradition of painted scholars portraits, as well as the way attitudes to such personal monuments have changed over time. The second part of the issue opens the European perspective and draws attention, firstly, to the beginnings of early modern scholars memoria and its ancient roots in Italy. The contributions by renowned experts like Malcolm Baker, Jeanette Kohl, Maria Pötzl-Malikova and Géza Galavics show the various forms taken by scholars memoria in certain European countries. This comparative view also shows how attitudes to personal monument continue to differ today.While English-speaking areas and the former Eastern bloc countries seem to have few reservations towards classical portrait busts and realistic painted portraits, this practice is the focus of criticism in German-speaking countries. With its methodologically varied approaches, this issue contributes significantly to a discursive debate on the tradition of Gelehrtenmemoria, and makes an important step towards filling a major gap in research.