RIHA Journal

About the Journal

The RIHA Journal was launched in 2010 by the International Association of Research Institutes in the History of Art (RIHA). It is a peer-reviewed, open access e-journal devoted to the full spectrum of art history and visual culture. The RIHA Journal particularly welcomes articles on topics of transregional or international relevance, and contributions that explore artistic interconnections and cultural exchange. As a collective endeavor, the RIHA Journal seeks to disseminate research produced by scholars of all nationalities and, in doing so, to foster dialogue across scholarly communities. Articles may be published in English, French, German, Italian, or Spanish.

Current Issue
Vol. 17 No. 2 (2026): RIHA Journal

View Vol. 17 No. 2 (2026): RIHA Journal

Special Issue
Mendicants, Humanists and the Aesthetics of the 'civitas'.
Rhetoric, Political Debates and Cultural Identity in 14th and 15th Century Italy and their Impact on Art, Architecture, and Urban Space
Guest-edited by Claudia Jentzsch and Katharine Stahlbuhk
This special issue examines the role of mendicant orders in the formation of humanist culture and urban identity. Based on a 2021 conference at the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History, it brings together six case studies on Italian Dominicans, Franciscans, and Carmelites. The contributions explore how friars engaged with civic values through preaching, texts, architecture, and artistic patronage. By focusing on the concept of civitas, the volume highlights the close interaction between convents, urban communities, and humanist thought.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.11588/riha.2026.2
Published: 2026-05-30

Table of Contents

Introduction to Special Issue

Articles