Art History

DEPARTMENT OF ART HISTORY

Head of the Department:
Ana Torlak, PhD, Associate Professor

E-mail: atorlak@ffst.hr

Department Secretary:

Margareta Vukojević, prof.

E-mail: m vukojev@ffst.hr

tel: +385 (021) 545 584

Coordinator for teaching bases:

Kristina Babić Džaja, Senior Lecturer

E-mail: kbabic@ffst.hr
v. d. Frane Prpa, Assistant
E-mail: fprpa@ffst.hr

Website Administrator:

Frane Prpa, Assistant

E-mail: fprpa@ffst.hr

Student Services:

E-mail: referada@ffst.hr

tel: +385 (021) 545 542

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Study programme:	University undergraduate study programme	University graduate study programme
General information on the study programme:	The university undergraduate double-major study programme in Art History covers all fundamental content in the field of art history and enables students to develop existing professional competencies and acquire new ones. During the programme, students gain knowledge of artistic and cultural heritage from antiquity to the contemporary period, develop the ability to analyse and interpret works of art, and become familiar with methods of researching and protecting of cultural heritage. Graduates with a university bachelor’s degree in Art History have the opportunity to work in cultural institutions, museums, galleries, tourism, and in associate positions on projects related to culture and heritage, as well as in occupations requiring knowledge of art history, cultural heritage, and culture in general. The university undergraduate study programme in Art History is comparable to related programmes in the Republic of Croatia, enabling the smooth mobility of students to similar programmes at other universities in the country and abroad.	The university graduate double-major study programme in Art History enables students to deepen and broaden the knowledge acquired at the undergraduate level and to develop specialised competencies in the field of art history and the protection of cultural heritage. During the programme, students acquire advanced methods of research, critical analysis, and interpretation of works of art and cultural phenomena, with particular emphasis on independent research and an interdisciplinary approach. Upon completion of the graduate study programme, students acquire competencies for work in museums, galleries, conservation departments, cultural institutions, scientific research projects, schools, tourism, and the media, as well as for positions related to the management, promotion, and interpretation of cultural heritage.
Level of study programme:	University undergraduate study programme	University graduate study programme
Professional or academic title or degree awarded upon completion of the study programme :	University Bachelor (Baccalaureus/Baccalaurea) of Art History (univ. bacc. hist. art.) Upisnik studijskih programa Registry of study programmes	University Master of Education in Art History (univ. mag. educ. hist. art.) Upisnik studijskih programa Registry of study programmes
Programme duration:	3 years	2 years
Number of ECTS points acquired on completion of study programme:	90	60
Application and Enrolment Requirements:	Detailed information about admission to the study programme is available at the following links: Postani student FFST - upisi	For admission to the university graduate double-major study programme in Art History, applicants must have completed an accredited university undergraduate double-major study programme in Art History, earning at least 180 ECTS credits in combination with another double-major undergraduate study programme. The university graduate study programme in Art History may be combined with all double-major study programmes at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split.
Further study opportunities:	Upon completion of the university undergraduate study programme in Art History, students may continue their studies at this Faculty by enrolling in a university graduate study programme, or in another graduate study programme at this or other faculties and universities in Croatia and abroad, subject to any differences in courses and/or credits arising from the specific features of different programmes, as stipulated by the regulations of the university and/or faculty.	Graduates holding the degree of Master of Education in Art History, by virtue of the competencies, knowledge, and skills acquired, are eligible to enrol in the doctoral study programme in Humanities at our Faculty, within the scientific area of the humanities, in the field of art history and other related fields.

CONTACTS

	Name and title	E-mail address
Department Head	Ana Torlak, PhD, Assistant Professor	atorlak@ffst.hr
Secretary	Margareta Vukojević	mvukojev@ffst.hr
ECTS coordinator	Dalibor Prančević, PhD, Associate Professor	dalibor@ffst.hr

Full Professor with Tenure

prof. dr. sc.

Ivana Prijatelj Pavičić

Kabinet Odsjeka

Associate Professor

izv. prof. dr. sc.	Vedran Barbarić	Email	224A
izv. prof. dr. sc.	Ivana Čapeta Rakić	Email
izv. prof. dr. sc.	Silva Kalčić	Email	B222
izv. prof. dr. sc.	Dalibor Prančević	Email	220
izv. prof. dr. sc.	Ana Torlak	Email	224a

Assistant Professor

doc. dr. sc.

Anđelko Mihanović

Senior Lecturer

v. pred.

Kristina Babić Džaja

Assistant

Frane Prpa

224A

Senior Lecturer

v. pred. dr. sc.	Doroti Brajnov Botić	Email
v. pred. dr. sc.	Ita Praničević-Borovac	Email

Assistant

dr. sc.	Jelena Jovanović
	Gabrijela Nikolić	Email
dr. sc.	Vedrana Premuž Đipalo

Others

nasl. doc. dr. sc.	Darka Bilić	Email
nasl. doc. dr. sc.	Sandi Bulimbašić	Email
nasl. izv. prof. dr. sc.	Radoslav Bužančić	Email

Title	Semester	Program
Art of the 15th and 16th Century	3	undergraduate	Art of the 15th and 16th Century Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije
Art of the 17th and 18th Century	4	undergraduate	Art of the 17th and 18th Century Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 4 Dodatne informacije
Art of the 19th Century - General Problems and Comparative Studies	4	undergraduate	Art of the 19th Century - General Problems and Comparative Studies Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 4 Dodatne informacije
Art of the 20th Century - Fundamental Problems and the End of Modernity	5	undergraduate	Art of the 20th Century - Fundamental Problems and the End of Modernity Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 5 Dodatne informacije
Art of the Early Middle Ages	2	undergraduate	Art of the Early Middle Ages Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 2 Dodatne informacije
Art Pedagogy and Mediation in museums, galleries and extrainstitutional initiatives in the XXth and XXIst century	3	graduate	Art Pedagogy and Mediation in museums, galleries and extrainstitutional initiatives in the XXth and XXIst century Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije
Contemporary Art	5	undergraduate	Contemporary Art Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 5 Dodatne informacije
Fundamentals of Museology and Museum Pedagogy	1	graduate	Fundamentals of Museology and Museum Pedagogy Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 1 Dodatne informacije
Gothic Art	3	undergraduate	Gothic Art Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije
Iconology	1	undergraduate	Iconology Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 1 Dodatne informacije
Introduction to Fine Arts	1	undergraduate	Introduction to Fine Arts Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 1 Dodatne informacije
MA thesis	4	graduate	MA thesis Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 4 Dodatne informacije
Methods of teaching fine arts	3	graduate	Methods of teaching fine arts Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije
Practicum and school practice	4	graduate	Practicum and school practice Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 4 Dodatne informacije
Protection of Cultural Heritage	4	undergraduate	Protection of Cultural Heritage Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 4 Dodatne informacije
Qualifying Research Paper	1	doctoral	Qualifying Research Paper Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 1 Dodatne informacije
Romanesque Art	3	undergraduate	Romanesque Art Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije
The Art of the Roman Empire in Croatia	2	undergraduate	The Art of the Roman Empire in Croatia Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 2 Dodatne informacije
Theory and History of Design	5	undergraduate	Theory and History of Design Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 5 Dodatne informacije
Theory of Visual Arts	6	undergraduate	Theory of Visual Arts Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 6 Dodatne informacije
Visual Communications	6	undergraduate	Visual Communications Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 6 Dodatne informacije
Approaches to the interpretation of the relationship between sacral heritage and space in the teaching of fine art	3	graduate	Approaches to the interpretation of the relationship between sacral heritage and space in the teaching of fine art Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije
Bachelor Thesis	6	undergraduate	Bachelor Thesis Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 6 Dodatne informacije
English Language I	1	undergraduate	English Language I Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 1 Dodatne informacije
English Language II	2	undergraduate	English Language II Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 2 Dodatne informacije
English Language III	3	undergraduate	English Language III Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije
English Language IV	4	undergraduate	English Language IV Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 4 Dodatne informacije
Italian Language I	1	undergraduate	Italian Language I Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 1 Dodatne informacije
Italian Language II	2	undergraduate	Italian Language II Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 2 Dodatne informacije
Italian Language III	3	undergraduate	Italian Language III Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije
Italian Language IV	4	undergraduate	Italian Language IV Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 4 Dodatne informacije
Master Thesis	4	graduate	Master Thesis Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 4 Dodatne informacije
Methodology of processing immovable cultural properties - professional approach	5	undergraduate	Methodology of processing immovable cultural properties - professional approach Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 5 Dodatne informacije
Methods of Protection and Conservation of Movable Cultural Heritage	2	graduate	Methods of Protection and Conservation of Movable Cultural Heritage Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 2 Dodatne informacije
Museum pedagogy with practicum	3	graduate	Museum pedagogy with practicum Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije
On the Wings of Antiquity: Monuments, Representations, Travelogues	1	graduate	On the Wings of Antiquity: Monuments, Representations, Travelogues Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 1 Dodatne informacije
Sculpture and Architecture of the early Medieval Croatian state	3	undergraduate	Sculpture and Architecture of the early Medieval Croatian state Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije
Selected Chapters in Contemporary Art Theory	1	doctoral	Selected Chapters in Contemporary Art Theory Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 1 Dodatne informacije
Selected Topics in Ancient Art	3	graduate	Selected Topics in Ancient Art Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije
The Art-History Workshop 1	1	graduate	The Art-History Workshop 1 Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 1 Dodatne informacije
The Art-History Workshop 2	2	graduate	The Art-History Workshop 2 Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 2 Dodatne informacije
The Art-History Workshop 3	3	graduate	The Art-History Workshop 3 Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije
The History of Exhibiting and Art through Contemporary Exhibition Practices	2	graduate	The History of Exhibiting and Art through Contemporary Exhibition Practices Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 2 Dodatne informacije
The urbanism of the mediaeval communes	4	undergraduate	The urbanism of the mediaeval communes Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 4 Dodatne informacije
Topics in Medieval Art	2	graduate	Topics in Medieval Art Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 2 Dodatne informacije
Traditional games and toys	2	graduate	Traditional games and toys Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 2 Dodatne informacije
Urbanistic Topics	2	graduate	Urbanistic Topics Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 2 Dodatne informacije
Venice as Patron of Urban and Architectural Development in the Eastern Adriatic during the Early Modern Period	3	graduate	Venice as Patron of Urban and Architectural Development in the Eastern Adriatic during the Early Modern Period Engleski jezik: Semestri nastave: 3 Dodatne informacije

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25.06.2026

Assistant Frane Prpa on a Research Stay in Venice

As part of the project "Mediterranean – Croatia – Identity: Historical and Cultural Intertwinings (MEDHRID)" , Assistant Frane Prpa from the Department of Art History at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Split, undertook a research stay in Venice from 19 February to 19 March 2026. During his one-month stay in Venice, Assistant Frane Prpa conducted archival research at four institutions: Archivio di Stato di Venezia , Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana , Museo Correr , and Fondazione Querini Stampalia .

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25.06.2026

Guest Lecture – Małgorzata Kaźmierczak

On 31 March 2026, a guest lecture by Małgorzata Kaźmierczak , current President of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) and Assistant Professor in the Art and Design Programme in Kraków, was held at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Split. The lecture focused on the theory of preservation and documentation of performance art and was delivered as part of the course Theory of Visual Arts , taught by Silva Kalčić . Małgorzata Kaźmierczak (The Faculty of Humanities, Institute of Art and Design of the Pedagogical University of Krakow, Poland): The theory of the preservation and documentation of performance art The lecture considers the contingency of performance art documentation: how an accidentally acquired image or deliberately created documentation influence our memory of performance art events and create a fictional action which exists only in our imagination. The problem will be illustrated with examples of widely known iconic performances are used, as well as primary sources, such as interviews with artists and documentalists. It also analyzes whether technological improvements change the contingent and fictional nature of documentation. It analyzes the problem from the perspective of a researcher, as well as a person who has documented hundreds of performance art pieces. --- Małgorzata Kaźmierczak Ph.D. A historian, curator, and researcher of contemporary art. Her interests focus on performance art and its social and political contexts, particularly the relationship between artistic practice and freedom of expression. She explores mechanisms of censorship, strategies of artistic resistance, and the role of art criticism in shaping public discourse. An important area of her research is South American performance art, analyzed through the lens of memory, corporeality, violence, and democratization processes. She is also interested in the transformations of the art field after 1989 in Central and Eastern Europe and the functioning of transnational artistic and institutional networks. Her research is closely linked to her curatorial practice and experience as a director. She carries out exhibition projects and international collaborations, combining theoretical reflection with institutional action. As president of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA International), she is committed to developing global initiatives promoting artistic freedom of expression, the ethics of criticism, and intercultural dialogue.

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25.06.2026

Students Anđela Prodan and Anja Jenjić at the 12th International Congress of Historic Towns in Solin

Art History students Anđela Prodan and Anja Jenjić will participate in the 12th International Congress of Historic Towns, which will take place from 24 to 27 March 2026 at Hotel President in Solin. As part of the congress programme, which includes lectures, panel discussions, and presentations dedicated to cultural tourism and heritage interpretation, a presentation of the best student innovative idea for the interpretation of a cultural heritage site will also be held. Within this programme, the students presented their interpretation project entitled: “Diocletian’s Palace After Sunset: The Lives of Communal Marginalised Groups.” The project focuses on portraying the everyday lives of marginalised social groups during the medieval communal period, with the aim of offering a different perspective on the interpretation of the city's history and enriching the contemporary cultural and tourism offer of Split’s historic centre.

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25.06.2026

Silva Kalčić – Želimir Koščević’s Exhibition Cartographies / Critical Apparatus, Exhibition and Curatorial Narratives

Želimir Koščević’s Exhibition Cartographies is an attempt to historicise curatorial practice in contemporary art in Croatia through the example of the work of curator emeritus Želimir Koščević. He worked progressively as the director and curator of the Student Centre Gallery in Zagreb (originally built as the Pavilion of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes at the Zagreb Fair in 1928–1929, designed by Ivan Zemljak, a member of the Zemlja group), and later as a curator at the Gallery/Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb (as well as the Lang Photo Gallery in Samobor). It is important to emphasise that the history of curatorial practices remains a relatively under-researched field within the Croatian art-historical context, while internationally it has become an increasingly prominent area of inquiry. While the history of exhibitions, in the modern sense of the universal right to public visibility, can be traced back to the revolutionary upheavals of the late eighteenth century, the history of contemporary curatorial exhibitions is being written in the present. This opens up possibilities for questioning existing models of institutional policy, conceptual frameworks, and modes of presentation. Following the Rijeka Salon ’54, which introduced the powerful and authoritative figure of the curator as selector of exhibited works (as discussed by Zlatko Galić in his introductory text), the emergence of neo-avant-garde practices and institutional theory and critique in the 1950s and 1960s destabilised established meanings and institutional positions associated with the artist, the artwork, the curator, and the audience. This led to a more active role for curators in mediating new artistic expressions—from the authorship of thematic exhibitions and exhibition-statements to the radical questioning and eventual abolition of the curatorial position itself. Examples include Koščević’s exhibitions Imaginary Museum I–III (1966–1968), Exhibitions of Women and Men (1971), Mail Art (1972), and culminating in the major international exhibition Cartographers: Geo-Gnostic Projections for the 21st Century (1997). When curators of Koščević’s generation (he was born in Zagreb in 1939) emerged on the scene, they redefined their own professional position and effectively assumed the role of meta-artists. This phenomenon became known as the curatorial turn . Rather than relying on linear museological narratives, Koščević employed artistic methods within his curatorial practice, using exhibition displays and museum artefacts as creative material, experimenting with modes of viewing, and conceiving exhibitions as holistic experiences. Koščević transformed the Student Centre Gallery into an experimental and open workshop of deprofessionalised art and subsequently introduced art into the public space of the city, thereby de-institutionalising it. Alongside experimental, critical, and interactive exhibitions, he organised public talks and discussions and actively mobilised and educated audiences through the pedagogical programmes of the Student Centre Gallery and later the Gallery of Contemporary Art.

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25.06.2026

Successful Completion of the First Incoming Mobility of International Researchers at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split within the CIRCE Project

During February 2026, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split successfully completed the first month of incoming mobility for international researchers within the framework of the CIRCE project. The Faculty hosted researchers from Italy and Spain who carried out an intensive and multidisciplinary programme in Split and Istria dedicated to the mapping and interpretation of contested cultural heritage. The researchers’ stay in Split was coordinated by Associate Professor Ivana Čapeta Rakić, PhD, leader of one of the project’s work packages. The activities were implemented in cooperation with the Croatian Association of Visual Artists Split (HULU Split). The mobility programme included extensive field research in numerous locations across Istria (Lovran, Oprtalj, Vižinada, Pula, Beram, Lindar, Pazin, Rovinj, Svetvinčenat, and Hum), as well as in Split and its surroundings (Klis and Trogir). Researchers mapped examples of potentially contested heritage, analysed different narratives and contexts, and collected data for the development of a shared cataloguing methodology. Fieldwork included visits to museums and galleries, as well as collaboration with local experts and representatives of religious communities. Particular emphasis was placed on participatory research methods. Focus groups, meetings with representatives of the Jewish and Islamic communities, and participatory mapping activities were organised, ultimately leading to the implementation of the Decolonial Walk—an event aimed at fostering critical reflection on cultural heritage and its multilayered history. The mobility programme also included a series of professional meetings and presentations, notably the presentation of the project at the Centre for Iconographic Studies of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka, as well as a meeting with the head of the House of Frescoes in Draguć, a department of the Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria in Pula dedicated to the preservation and presentation of Istrian mural painting. In addition to the research component, the mobility included numerous project meetings, networking activities, and participation in cultural events, further strengthening international cooperation among project partners and enhancing the visibility of the project.

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