Xavier Barral i Altet, born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1947. Ph.D. from Université Paris Sorbonne-Paris IV. Professor of Art History of the Middle Ages at Université de Rennes 2.
Fellow (1 September 1997 – 30 June 1998)
During my stay at NIAS I made progress on the book I am writing, which deals with the physical conditions of the artistic work, the manpower and the organisation of work in the Romanesque Period. In addition to this, I examined the status enjoyed by the sleeping partners, artists and craftsmen. This book also examines what became of the artistic products after their authors had finished them.
Thanks to my NIAS Fellowship, I was able to complete the section concerning the definition of artists-craftsmen, the notion of work of art, and that of the relations between sleeping partner, artist and work. I also widened the geographic scope of my work to northern Europe.