Anna Sobecka works in the Institute of Art History, where she researches early modern art, with particular emphasis on painting and graphics from German-speaking centers and the Netherlands. She is interested in relations of theory and practice as well as links between art and science. Dealing with the history of European collecting and contemporary exhibitions she also follows the art market in search of works by artists associated with Gdansk. She examines old Danzig as an artistic center on the borderland – developing at the junction of German-speaking Protestant culture, politically connected with the Catholic Commonwealth, and having extensive contacts with the Netherlands, England, and Scandinavia.
He also deals with artistic objects made of amber from ancient times to the present day. In the field of amber studies, she cooperates with geologists, biologists, and chemists. She is also willing to take initiatives with representatives of other disciplines. Together with sociologists from the University of Gdansk and designers from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, she conducted postgraduate studies „Design in social space”.
As a museologist and curator who previously worked at the National Museum in Poznań and the Castle Museum in Malbork, she believes that direct contact with the object is the most important aspect of an art historian’s work. She pays a lot of attention to preservation. Likes to take advantage of the fact that the Institute is located in the city center, she teaches in historic interiors and institutions such as museums.
Anna Sobecka is the author of scientific and popular texts on Gdansk art. She is co-editor of the bilingual journal „Bursztynisko/The Amber Magazine” and a member of the editorial board of the „Porta Aurea”. A volume co-edited by her, dedicated to Professor Małgorzata Omilanowska, published in 2020 is available online: https://czasopisma.bg.ug.edu.pl/index.php/portaaurea/issue/view/384