Art History as Indicator of Swiss Secondary School Art Education History: A Case Study of the Canton of Bern from 1994 to Today

The emphasis on art history in secondary school art education in the Swiss Canton of Bern is exceptional in contrast to the other German-speaking cantons, where art schools do without any academic art history training whatsoever in teachers’ education. What historical developments have led to the fact that the proportion of art history is so different in Swiss secondary school art education classes and teacher training? And what implications does the emphasis on art history have for art education teaching practice in Bern gymnasia? Since there exist hardly any fixed regulations for Swiss art education, it is the curricula and the experience of teachers that especially define the role and function of art history within the subject “Bildnerisches Gestalten” (Arts and Crafts). In this article we focus on the role of art history in secondary school art education in the Canton of Bern from 1994 to today. Methodologically, it combines an archival data analysis with oral history. Our study is led by the assumption that the history of Swiss secondary school art education can be approached by an analysis of the part art history plays within it. In addition to the structural implementation of art history in art classes, the research principally strives to reveal prevailing concepts of art mediated in Bern Gymnasia.