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Committee on Research in Art and Art History

The Committee on Research in Art and Art History implements the Board of the Foundation’s granting decision to support projects within art history research and fellowships in art history, art, and curating to researchers affiliated with a research institution in Denmark.

The projects must take place mainly in Denmark, and must be a stand-alone research project or a clearly defined part of a larger research project.

The Board has decided to establish a yearly grant budget of DKK 38,45 million within this field of research. The grant budget is allocated to project grants (DKK 3 million), five Mads Øvlisen postdoctoral fellowships (DKK 10,1 million), five Mads Øvlisen PhD scholarships (DKK 14,05 million), two investigator grants in art history (DKK 8,3 million) and two annual visiting professorships in art & art history (DKK 3 million).

Additionally, the committee organizes a yearly seminar in art and art history research – the Novo Nordisk Foundation Art Inspirational Day, in collaboration with the Foundation.

The Committee succeeded the former Committee on Humanities Research, which the Novo Foundation established in 1979 to assess applications for the support of research in the humanities. The Committee had this title until 2000, but was renamed when the Foundation decided to prioritize support for research in art and art history. Mads Øvlisen has been a member of the Committee since 2006.

The Board of the Foundation appoints a Chair and the other members in accordance with the general rules covering the Foundation’s committees. The current members are listed below.

Maria Fabricius Hansen

Chair

Professor, Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen
Has been a member since 2016.

Mads Øvlisen

Member

Former CEO of Novo Nordisk A/S
Has been a member since 2006.

Gertrud Sandqvist

Member

Professor, Art Academy in Malmø, University of Lund, Sweden
Has been a member since 2019.

Øystein Sjåstad

Member

Professor, Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Idea, University of Oslo, Norway
Has been a member since 2019.

Mathias Danbolt

Member

Professor, Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen.
Has been a member since 2022.

Helle Brøns

Member

PhD, Curator, Helle Brøns, Sorø Art Museum, Denmark.
Has been a member since 2023.