The C.I.H.A. Italian Committee is a non-profit organisation based in the city of Florence (GDSU, Florence, Via della Ninna 5). Created to reflect the spirit of the first congress held in Vienna in 1873, the organisation is dedicated to the promotion of culture and art pursuant to art. 10, letter A of Italian Legislative Decree n. 460/97. The C.I.H.A. Italian Committee is comprised of representatives from various historical-artistical cultural institutions: universities, Sovrintendenze, national, provincial, regional, municipal and private museums.
The C.I.H.A. pursues the following objectives: (pursuant to art. 3, 1-7 of its Statute)
1) favouring the development of historical and methodological studies of artistic phenomena;
2) ensuring a permanent relationship between Italian art historians residing and/or operating in Italy or abroad and in possession of important professional titles or of the highest repute;
3) stimulating and coordinating the dissemination of published studies and research and material developed in the field of art history;
4) promoting conventions, conferences, congresses, debates, seminars and meetings between art historians, in addition to participating in the promotion and organisation of international CIHA congresses, during which it plays an active role;
5) studying the most suitable methods for improving research and education and the tools employed by art historians, with particular reference to photographic and iconographic documentation, the cataloguing of information, the creation of exhaustive and up-to-date national bibliographies and the promotion of national research centres dedicated to the history of art;
6) participating in international cooperation projects as defined by UNESCO’s “International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies”;
7) promoting and participating in activities linked to the history of art in general, including the realisation of projects, the preparation of publications, the creation of WEB sites, bulletins, conference proceedings, the content of studies and research produced by the Association and by others, favouring the creation and/or development of public or private institutions and organisms in the fields of education and social, cultural and artistic activities connected or connectable to evolution, improvement and research in the field of art history; to achieve these aims the association may stipulate agreements of collaboration or consultancy with public or private subjects in Italy and abroad.