How does history smell? Art historian Caro Verbeek collects and (re)creates historical scents. A must-smell lecture about our most underrated sense!
Olfaction can trigger early and vivid memories, set moods and atmospheres and heighten a sense of realism like no other sense. No wonder artists have been addressing the sense of smell for more than a century now. Especially the Futurists and Surrealists often added smells to their works of art. But due to a lack of vocabulary and devices to register or document smell –and of course the volatility of the medium – art history has sadly become odorless.
Caro Verbeek is on a mission to change this. During this lecture you will be able to perceive (art) history through the nose once more, and learn more about the importance of smell for both our past and future.
Drs. Caro Verbeek is an art historian, curator and researcher specialized in the senses of smell and touch. She is a member of NOSE (Netherlands Olfactory Science Exchange), teaches at the Royal Academy of Arts (The Hague) and designs olfactory tours and sensory workshops for museums and other institutions. She is currently working on her PhD on art historical smells at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, with IFF (International Flavours & Fragrances) and the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.