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Art Criticism and Diffusion

Code: 43009 ECTS Credits: 10
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Analysis and Management of the Artistic Heritage OT 0

Contact

Name:
Jaime Vidal Oliveras
Email:
jaime.vidal@uab.cat

Teachers

Jaime Vidal Oliveras
Maria Rosa Gutierrez Herranz
Ricard Bru Turull
David Gutierrez Torres
José María Romero Martínez
(External) Carme Sais
(External) Cristina Navarro
(External) David Sirvent
(External) Inés Martínez-Ribas
(External) Jesús Galdón
(External) Marina Carbonell
(External) Marta Gili
(External) Teresa Grandas

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

Any


Objectives and Contextualisation

Make contemporary art visible: criticism and exhibition curating. This module is presented as a workshop on art criticism focused on curating and management of art exhibitions. The module contains theoretical sessions on the one hand, seminar where professionals contribute their own experience analyzing concrete projects and on the other hand,  practical project This project consists in the joint design and development of an exhibition project. The exhibition will take place in the exhibition space of the UAB and will be opened to the public at the end of the course


Competences

  • Be familiar with the resources and skills that a professional art historian or artistic heritage specialist needs and develop the ability to meet the challenges involved in the care, study and management of the artistic heritage.
  • Communicate and justify conclusions clearly and unambiguously to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
  • Discriminate between important research and dissemination of culture.
  • Explore new interdisciplinary strategies for art historians' career development.
  • Find links between concepts and knowledge in different areas of art history that previously had not been observed.
  • Honestly and realistically evaluate the rigorousness of one's own work.
  • Integrate knowledge and use it to make judgements in complex situations, with incomplete information, while keeping in mind social and ethical responsibilities.
  • Reconstruct and critically analyse the positions of the principal current researchers into the artistic heritage, using their characteristic categorisations and vocabulary.
  • Show mastery of language, expression and rhetorical devices in the preparation and presentation of research projects and professional tasks.
  • Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
  • Systematically assimilate and synthesise the information that is of the greatest importance for research and professional practice.
  • Transfer historical and artistic research to society.
  • Understand the analysis methods used in research into the artistic heritage, and art theory and history.
  • Use acquired knowledge as a basis for originality in the application of ideas, often in a research context.
  • Work in interdisciplinary teams. Master the use of language, expression and rhetorical resources in drawing up and and delivering presentations on research, projects and professional tasks.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Communicate and justify conclusions clearly and unambiguously to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
  2. Differentiate between the various systems for disseminating the artistic heritage in museums, foundations and art centres. Apply some of the above.
  3. Discriminate between important research and dissemination of culture.
  4. Honestly and realistically evaluate the rigorousness of one's own work.
  5. Integrate knowledge and use it to make judgements in complex situations, with incomplete information, while keeping in mind social and ethical responsibilities.
  6. Know and analyse the main currents in the making of documentaries on art.
  7. Know and analyse the main currents within art criticism at present.
  8. Know and apply the analysis methods of art critics for audiovisual sectors related to art documentaries and online art exhibitions.
  9. Make links between art criticism and dissemination and other information and developments presented during the master's programme.
  10. Make links between knowledge of art history and computer and audiovisual technology.
  11. Show mastery of language, expression and rhetorical devices in the preparation and presentation of research projects and professional tasks.
  12. Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
  13. Systematically assimilate and synthesise the information that is of the greatest importance for research and professional practice.
  14. Understand the work of art critics.
  15. Use acquired knowledge as a basis for originality in the application of ideas, often in a research context.
  16. Work in interdisciplinary teams. Master the use of language, expression and rhetorical resources in drawing up and and delivering presentations on research, projects and professional tasks.
  17. Write an art critique or a critique of an online exhibition.

Content

Criticism, curating and dissemination of art

 

Program

 

1. Presentation of the module. The ecosystem of art and the functions and models of art criticism. From art criticism to curating exhibitions. Commission of exhibition reviews and commissioning of an exhibition project. First contact with the materials and resources available to make the exhibition. Jaume Vidal Oliveras.

2 . Notion and practice of the curator I. David G. Torres (UAB and independent critic and curator)

3. Notion and practice of the curator II. Ricard Bru (UAB and independent curator).

4. Notion and practice of the curator III. Teresa Grandas (Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona)

5 Notion and practice of the curator IV. Carme Sais (Girona City Council)

6 Art Critics I. Rosa Gutiérrez Herranz. (UAB and independent critic and curator)

7 Art Critics II. Rosa Gutiérrez Herranz. (UAB and independent critic and curator)

8. Budgets. David Sirvent (Cultura en Viu)

9. Presentation, correction and collective debate of the critical comments of the students I Rosa Gutiérrez Herranz

10. Presentation, correction and collective debate of the critical comments of the students II Rosa Gutiérrez Herranz

11. Delivery of the exhibition project. Jaume Vidal Oliveras.

12. Synthesis of the various exhibition scripts. Proposal of order. Start of the loan application for parts, authorizations, insurance, material orders or assembly work. Jaume Vidal Oliveras and Jesús Galdón (Designer).

13. Communication and dissemination. Inés Martínez-Ribas (Independent communication consultant).

14. Proposed assembly. Debate. Jaume Vidal Oliveras and Jesús Galdón.

15. Follow-up exhibition. Process closure. Texts,web materials, press dossier. Requests, procedures and insurance. Jaume Vidal Oliveras.

16 Exposure tracking. Process closure. Jaume Vidal Oliveras and José A. Aristizabal..

17 Transfer of pieces, registration and assembly of the exhibition. Jaume Vidal Oliveras and Jesús Galdón.

18 Strategies and administrative procedures in the management and production of exhibitions. Txema Romero(Director of the Art Museum of Cerdanyola).

19.Preparation and exhibition of virtual exhibitions I. Maina Carbonell (Library Service UAB).

20 Preparation and exhibition of virtual exhibitions II. Cristina Navarro (Library Service UAB)


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Supervised      
Preparation of an exhibition project 12 0.48 4, 8, 11, 12, 1, 5, 16
Type: Autonomous      
Visit to exhibitions 12 0.48 4, 14, 7, 8, 17, 9, 1, 5

 

This module is conceived as a workshop of art criticism and curatorial, which contains both theoretical sessions 
or seminars as a series of practices. During the class period of the module, the student will have to visit a series of exhibitions 
and write the corresponding critical commentary. And he will also have to design and elaborate in common an exhibition project. The exhibition will take place in 
the Exhibition Hall of the UAB and will be open to the public at the end of the course

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Class attendance and active participation 20 % 25 1 12, 5, 15
Projects and individual texts 30 % 75 3 4, 14, 6, 7, 8, 3, 2, 11, 17, 10, 9, 12, 1, 5, 13, 15, 16
Student exhibition project supervised by the module coordinator 50% 126 5.04 4, 3, 11, 12, 1, 5, 15, 16 

The student will visit exhibitions and write art reviews and will carry out an exhibition project (30%) that will agree with his colleagues and porfessor and finally the project will be exacerbated (50%).
In addition, it will be valued the class attendance and active participation
 
OBSERVATIONS:

Students will obtain a “Not assessed/Not submitted” course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items

REVIEW: at the moment of realisation of each activity evaluative, the teacher will inform the students of the procedure and date of review of the qualifications
 
RECOVERY: those students who do not pass any of the tests or do notdeliver in due time will only have to recover the part not approved or not presented

Students will obtain a Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items

 
PLAGIARISM AND IRREGULARITIES:in the event of a student committing any irregularity (plagiarism, Artificial Intelligence) that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity,thestudent will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event ofseveral irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
 
AI: This subject allows the use of AI technologies exclusively for support tasks such as bibliographic or content-based searches, text correction or translations, where applicable. Other specific situations may be contemplated, as deemed appropriate by the teacher. The student must clearly (i) identify which parts have been generated using AI technology; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and final outcome of the activity. Lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in the assessed activity will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade may be lowered, or the work may even be awarded a zero. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.
 
VIRTUAL TEACHING: In the event that the tests and the course cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.
 
This subject/module does not incorporate single assessment.

Bibliography

The bibliography corresponding to the Module will be offered in class
 

Software

If a specific program is needed, it will be notified in a timely manner

Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(TEm) Theory (master) 1 Catalan second semester afternoon