As 2024 draws to a close, it is a fitting moment to reflect on CODART’s activities over the past year and look forward to what lies ahead. We are proud to share this with our international network of curators and are delighted to have welcomed 49 new members and 16 new associate members to CODART this year. 

A Year Full of Events 

In 2024, CODART organized a total of seven events that brought together curators and experts to exchange knowledge and collaborate. A highlight was our fully-booked annual congress, CODART 25, which took place in Stockholm and proved to be a memorable gathering. 

In addition to the congress, we organized three in-person focus meetings dedicated to Frans Hals in Amsterdam, Van Eyck in Paris, and Van Heemskerck in Haarlem and Alkmaar. We also held three online CODARTfocus meetings: a meeting dedicated to the exhibition Bruegel to Rubens, an online visit to the exhibition on Dutch and Flemish encounters with the Islamic world at Harvard Art Museums, and a session on the attribution of drawings from Schwerin, of which the recordings are online.

We also organized multiple activities for the Friends of CODART, including a guided tour and Art Talk at BRAFA, a Patrons Salon at TEFAF Maastricht, and an afternoon at PAN Podium.

A Growing Digital Presence 

Our website continued to be an important platform for covering news and current topics in the field, connecting members, and sharing information. Over the course of the year, we published 158 news articles, added 153 exhibitions and events to our calendar and shared 37 vacancies. Each month we published a CODARTfeature, ranging from interviews with curators to in-depth looks into specific collections or exhibitions of Dutch and Flemish art. 

In addition, we featured a curator in the spotlight each quarter, highlighting the careers of Bernd Ebert from the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Greta Koppel from the Kadrioru Kunstimuuseum in Tallinn, Tom van der Molen from the Amsterdam Museum, and Helen Hillyard from the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London. 

CODART also expanded its digital presence in 2024. Since early this year, you can find CODART on Threads. We also launched a LinkedIn group to foster networking among members, while recordings of congresses and other videos were made publicly available on our newly launched YouTube channel. Besides, we have added many Dutch and Flemish collection descriptions on our website and started sharing them on social media.

Plans for 2025 and Beyond 

Looking forward, CODART’s focus for the coming years (2025–2028) is to intensify its efforts to forge connections, provide support, and to serve as a valued source of information. CODART aims to be an open organization, which belongs primarily to its members – the curators – but that is also useful and interesting for others whose work focuses on Dutch and Flemish art before 1800, or who take a particular interest in it (such as the Friends of CODART). The primary emphasis of CODART’s activities in the coming years will be on executing its digital strategy, including a renewal of the CODART website, and on strengthening the network in various areas. 

More details on our future plans can be found in our activity plan, available in full (PDF in Dutch) or in summary (PDF in English). You can also find these on our new Mission and Vision page, under our renewed About CODART page. 

Season’s Greetings 

As we close this year, we would like to take a moment to thank our Members, Friends, and others interested in CODART, for your continued support and enthusiasm. We wish you Happy Holidays and a good start of the new year, and we look forward to seeing you in 2025!