The Herbert Read Conference

Dates: 25, 26 and 27 June 2004

Location: The Djanogly Arts Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England

Deadline for Submission of Proposals: Not yet set

Following his death in 1968, interest in Herbert Read's work fell away dramatically, and even his position as a signifiant historical figure in the history of Modernism was often forgotten. This situation began to change in 1993 with the staging of the major international exhibition, Herbert Read: A British Vision of World Art, at Leeds City Art Galleries in England. Together with the accompanying catalogue and an academic conference, this exhibition sowed the seeds for a revival of interest in Read which is very much in evidence today.
The revival has included the reissuing of Read's writings, including A One Man Manifesto by the Freedom Press in 1994, and To Hell with Culture by Routledge in 2002; the publication of the papers of the 1993 Read conference, under the title Herbert Read Reassessed, edited by David Goodway, by Liverpool University Press in 1998; and, the increasing tendency amongst academics to include Read in broader texts on Modernism and art theory, as shown by Routledge's reference work, Key Writers of Art, edited by Chris Murray, published in 2002.

In June 2004, the University of Nottingham's Department of History of Art will be hosting the Herbert Read Conference 2004. The aim of this conference will be to build upon the foundations laid by the previous Herbert Read Conference, organised by David Goodway at the University of Leeds in 1993. In doing so, it will seek to open up the possibility of a critical reintegration of Herbert Read into academic study by encouraging delegates to consider the relationship of Read to a number of key areas in art history and related disciplines. This includes consideration of:

1. Read and other theorists/critics

2. Read and institutions

3. Read and art history

4. Read and the study of literature.

At this early stage, however, we are still open to additional/other suggestions of topics.

Although established academics will be speaking at the conference, one of our aims is to try to broaden 'Herbert Read studies' by giving a platform to new voices, including those just starting out on their academic careers, those involved in indirect study of Read, and those involved in analogous disciplines to art history and/or the study of literature.

Although we are NOT yet issuing a 'Call for Papers', if you would like to receive a 'Call for Papers' notice when it is published, we invite you to contact us now to register your interest. Similarly, if you do not wish to speak at the Conference, but would like to be kept informed of its development, you are also welcome to contact us. The 'Call for Papers' notice is likely to be published later in September 2002.

To register your interest, please e'mail your details to Michael Paraskos, Conference Organiser, at: paraskos