Chair of East Asian Art History

The Chair of East Asian Art History at the Department of Art History, University of Zurich, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Ewa Machotka, is dedicated to the study of art and visual cultures of China, Japan and Korea, spanning from ancient to contemporary times.  

Established over five decades ago and standing as the sole chair dedicated to East Asian Art History in Switzerland, the Chair, rooted in both wide international academic networks and rich collections of East Asian art kept in the country, serves as a research and education hub for East Asian art history in Switzerland and beyond.  

On this website, you may find information about current events, study programs, and ongoing research projects at the Chair for East Asian Art History.

The Chair’s aim is to position art as an active and reflective medium for engaging with the cultures, histories, and social realities of East Asia. Rather than presenting East Asia as a static object of study, this approach emphasizes dialogue, critique, and mutual exchange through artistic and curatorial practices.

The Chair combines practical hands-onresearch and critical theory perspectives to investigate East Asian art objects, their production, reception and circulation (including transnational and global interactions), advocating for inclusive, diverse approaches to studying of artefacts from different cultures. These principles guide the Chair’s research as well as its pedagogy, which stresses research-based education.  

Balancing critical theory approaches with object-based practices,teaching is conducted in diverse formats including seminars, lectures, practical exercises,excursions and colloquia as well as workshops and conferences. Favoring inquiry-based learning, hands-on study, field trips and guest speakers, the aim is to foster curiosity and provide students a pathway to versatile intellectual and professional development, preparing them for careers both within and outside the art world. 

Our Zurich Lectures in East Asian Art History series brings in international speakers on a regular basis for exchange over the most recent developments in and beyond our field.

The prestigious Zurich Lectures in East Asian Art History bring distinguished scholars to Zurich to deliver keynote lectures on current topics and novel approaches in the field. Established with the goal of mapping innovative research in East Asian Art History, offer broad perspectives on the state of research in East Asian Art. These public lectures welcome all interested attendees and aim to foster dialogue both within and beyond the discipline of East Asian Art History. 

The Zurich Lectures serve as a forum of knowledge exchange on topics related to East Asian Art in Switzerland and beyond. Supported by the exceptional environment of museums, galleries and private collections in an around Zurich, the lectures gather a community of diverse professional and intellectual backgrounds. We believe in the value of such breadth, both to facilitate student-led initiatives and to enhance the impact of academic research.

About the Zurich Lectures in East Asian Art History

Roundtable: East Asian Art in Dialogue is a recurring forum that fosters critical, cross-sectoral conversations within the global art ecosystem, with a particular focus on the role of East Asia within this context. Engaging artists, curators, collectors, donors, gallerists, art historians, and philanthropists, the series explores the interdependent roles these actors play in shaping cultural, socio-economic and institutional frameworks of East Asian art.

Situated at the intersection of artistic practice, academia, museums, and the art market, the Roundtable facilitates exchange across professional boundaries. Each edition addresses key dimensions of the art world—art creating, collecting and donating practices, curatorial approaches, institutional partnerships, issues of public engagement and social relevance of art— exploring the forces that shape the production, circulation, and reception of East Asian art.

Structured as a range of formats—including lectures, seminars, workshops, guest talks, and excursions—the Roundtable emphasizes dialogical engagement that foster mutual learning, and exchange among the various actors in the art ecosystem. The initiative also serves as a platform for students and early-career professionals to connect with practitioners and engage with real-world perspectives on art and its social role.

As both an academic and civic space, Roundtable: East Asian Art in Dialogue reflects the evolving responsibilities of individuals and institutions in today’s global art landscape.

Prof. Dr. Ewa Machotka is an art historian specializing in Japan and East Asia, with a transnational academic and museum career. Her research spans Japanese art and visual culture, global and transcultural art history, art historiography, environmental art history, and the computational analysis of visual arts.

Contact

Universität Zürich
Department of Art History  
Raemistr. 73  
CH-8006 Zuerich  
Switzerland    

Office: RAK 3-302  
Tel.: 044 634 28 33 (dir.)  
Tel.: +41 44 634 28 31 (secretariat)
E-Mail: ewa.machotka@khist.uzh.ch   

Consultations

By appointment (ewa.machotka@khist.uzh.ch)

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Universität Zürich
Institute of Art History
Chair of East Asian Art History
Raemistrasse 73
8006 Zurich
Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0)44 634 45 95 / +41 (0)44 634 59 44
E-Mail: kgoa@khist.uzh.ch