Publications

Exhibition catalogs

Catalogs published to coincide with exhibitions are an essential part of Villa Medici’s programming. Exhibition catalogs are either published by Villa Medici or co-published and distributed in collaboration with other publishing houses, depending on the themes addressed. These works offer a broad overview of the subjects explored in Villa Medici’s exhibitions.

Scientific publications

 

Studiolo, Villa Medici art history journal

Founded in 2002 by the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici, Studiolo is a yearly international art history journal published in three languages (French, Italian, and English) and A-rated by Italy’s National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research (ANVUR). It publishes critical and historiographical pieces covering the modern and contemporary periods across all geographical areas.

By embracing a wide range of methodological approaches, it encourages interdisciplinary dialogue. Each issue features a thematic Dossier along with several regular sections: Varia, open to submissions outside the main theme; Débats, dedicated to historiography; Villa Médicis, histoire et patrimoine, covering the history of the French Academy in Rome and the restoration projects led by the Art History Department. Finally, Champ libre opens its pages to current year residents.

The first 14 issues of Studiolo are available freely accessible on Persée.

Guide lines for submitting articles

The Art History Collection

The Art History Collection of the French Academy in Rome publishes collective works from colloquia, seminars, study days and research workshops organized by the art history department, often in collaboration with international institutions and universities. The choice of themes related to current cultural events in Europe, and the selection of articles that encourage debate, give this collection a resolutely contemporary and international perspective.

 

Outside of the collection

Villa Medici supports and participates in the publication of works resulting from colloquia organized in partnership with international institutions and research centers. These works focus on subjects often studied by former fellows and residents at the French Academy in Rome.

Among these are the five volumes devoted to Villa Medici, published between 1989 and 2010 by the French Academy in Rome and the École française de Rome under the direction of André Chastel and the coordination of Philippe Morel. They present some of the richest documentation on the institution, these volumes meticulously trace the genesis of the building right through to the details of its decoration and gardens, including the people who commissioned it and their collections. Combining numerous studies and texts by dozens of specialists, they provide in-depth documentation on the heritage and history of the building. These works are out of print but can be found in specialist bookshops.

 

Directors’ Correspondence

This is the publication, in several volumes, of the written correspondence of the directors of the French Academy in Rome, shedding valuable light on daily life and relations maintained by the Academy with Italian, French and European institutions and personalities of the time. In 2004, the Academy and the Société de l’Histoire de l’Art français (SHAF) published a new series of Correspondance relating to the directors of the institution in the 19th century.

Previously, the following volumes were published: the correspondence under the Ancien Régime published in the Archives de l’Art français in 17 volumes (1912), as well as the repertory volume and the two volumes devoted to the directorship of Joseph-Benoît Suvée.

 

Free access to digitized works

In partnership with Persée (Unité d’Appui et de Recherche attached to the ENS of Lyon and the CNRS), a digitization campaign was launched in 2022 to provide free access to older, out-of-print scientific publications, in particular the journal Studiolo. The works in the Art History Collection will be the subject of a new campaign launched in 2024, which will make them freely available on the Persée portal in 2026.

 

Further information:

General bibliography on Villa Medici and the French Academy in Rome (Fr)

Publications about Villa Medici

Villa Medici offers a series of publications aimed at a diverse readership. The story of the space, its inhabitants, its curiosities and its unique features, is told through illustrated works, magazines, themed guides, and children’s comics and books.