Missions

● Conduct research in art history on the visual culture of the cosmos in the early modern period (15th-17th centuries) as part of the research project “Spectacles célestes. Images, savoirs et croyances sur le cosmos à la première modernité”, affiliated with the ARVIGRAPH Chair (CNRS / Centre André-Chastel).
● Contribute to the various initiatives of the ARVIGRAPH Chair.

Activités

● Conduct research in archives, libraries, and relevant collections on the theme of the visual culture of the cosmos in the early modern period (15th-17th centuries).
● Prepare and submit at least one research article to a peer-reviewed journal.
● Present research at a minimum of three scientific events.
● Contribute to the research (iconography, archives, bibliography), initiatives, and outreach activities (seminars, conferences, courses, lecture series) of the ARVIGRAPH Chair.
● Write blog posts for the research blog “Cosmospectio”, documenting the ongoing research within the ARVIGRAPH Chair.
● Prepare an application for the CNRS researcher competition.

Compétences

● A PhD in Art History (15th-17th centuries), with a strong focus on the history of knowledge and/or beliefs, a particular sensitivity to graphic culture, and possibly having previously addressed objects related to the visual culture of the cosmos.
● Excellent knowledge of archives, libraries, and collections.
● Excellent skills in preparing scientific presentations and writing publications in both French and English.
● Good skills in digital humanities.
● Ability to contribute to a research project involving national and international partners.

Contexte de travail

The contract is part of the “Spectacles célestes. Images, savoirs et croyances sur le cosmos à la première modernité” project, affiliated with the CNRS Junior Professorship Chair Arts and Visual Culture - Graphic Expressions (ARVIGRAPH), covering the period 2024-2028.
This project focuses on the visual history of the cosmos in the early modern period (15th-17th centuries) and examines the complex interactions between visual and graphic forms, knowledge, beliefs, social and economic practices, as well as techniques, within the context of the “scientific revolution.”

The selected candidate will need to propose a research project (1 page) focused on a new object or case study related to the visual culture of the cosmos, whether identified or not, that fits within the scope of the ARVIGRAPH Chair.
The chosen candidate will be supervised by Florian Métral, Art Historian and holder of the ARVIGRAPH Chair.

The candidate will be based at the Centre André-Chastel (Sorbonne University-CNRS-MC), where a fully equipped workstation will be provided.
The candidate will join the largest French research team in Art History, which consists of about fifty permanent members and more than a hundred PhD students, offering a particularly dynamic environment. Located in the Galerie Colbert, the Centre André-Chastel will also provide opportunities to collaborate with various partner institutions.

Research-related tasks such as presenting research results or working in archives and collections may be funded.

Contraintes et risques

The position requires research in archives, libraries, and museum collections, mainly located in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Switzerland.