History of art in the age of information technology revolution and globalisation.

The article is a slightly altered version of an inauguration lecture presented at the 4th Central European Forum of Doctoral Students of Art History ‘Art History in the Age of Globalisation’, which took place in Wrocław on 5-8 November 2008 thanks to the efforts of the Institute of Art History at the University of Wrocław and Doctoral Students Council of the University of Wrocław. The starting point was the fruit of the 32nd Congress of the Comité International d’Histoire de l’Art (CIHA) entitled ‘Crossing Cultures: Conflict, Migration and Convergence’, which was held on 13-18 January 2008 at the University of Melbourne. In the author’s opinion the congress was of an exceptional significance: firstly, it was carried on in Australia, on the continent latest included in ‘global’ cultural communication, secondly, for the first time the ‘global’ dimension of history of art was stressed so strongly. This discipline is practised nowadays all over the world, moreover it improves making use of modern methods of gathering knowledge and rendering it accessible. What it is all about is to break down ethnical, political or religious prejudices, still present here and there, with the aim of these new information tools to build up gradually the truly all-human, ‘global’ history of art